The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko
by firefox369
Summary: The Shikon has been completed and is absorbed into Kagome's body. Forced to return to her era, she has to defeat Naraku again, this time alone. Too bad she's a fox on the run from the evil pest control workers, too. FBIYxover vote for pairings
1. Problem 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters so pleaaaassssseeeeeee don't sue me!!!!

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 1

I Don't Know Where I Am...

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"" Talking

_Italicized_ Midoriko talking to Kagome in her mind

Kagome talking to Midoriko in her mind

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I collapsed to the ground in a heap, panting from exhaustion, as I looked at the bloodied battle field around me. It was littered with the ashes and parts of several youkai demons of lower-levels. However, Naraku was finally gone. Thank god for that. The jewel had backfired and purified him once he had made his wish. We had been fighting him all morning, and despite the beautiful weather, my mood was anything but happy. I was the complete opposite actually.

Drowning in my own sorrow, I looked over at Sango. Kohaku was in her arms, his body was limp and I knew that he had not survived. Naraku had ripped the jewel shard from his body, giving him a slow and painful death. Miroku was beside her, trying to comfort her, despite the fatal wound on his back. Sango leaned in to him, accepting his comfort, and I gave a tiny smile knowing that they had finally gotten together.

Shippo was back at the village, unharmed and safe. He was safely out of the way of the final battle and I was glad for that. He would have only proved to be a distraction, despite his good intentions.

Sesshoumaru, who had unexpectedly joined in half way through the morning, had escaped with only a few minor scratches that would heal in less than a day for him. Kouga had had the same happen to him, so I didn't have to worry about his health.

Kagura and the rest of Naraku's minions had disappeared along with him. I guessed that he didn't want to leave any of himself behind. Or maybe it was the fact that he hated Kagura and wanted to take her down with him. Whatever the reason, Kagura, Kanna, and the rest of them were nowhere to be found.

Kikyo had returned back to hell, deciding to, surprisingly, give my soul back. She didn't even acknowledge Inuyasha as she said goodbye, but simply ignored him. She was the cold, unfeeling clay pot all the way to the end of her 'life'.

Inuyasha... he just stared at the spot where Kikyo had disappeared into the earth, refusing to move. I saw the amount of sorrow that filled his eyes and felt a tugging at my heart. I had long ago accepted that he would never love me the way that I wanted him to, and that he would always love Kikyo. Despite how much that thought hurt me, I began to grow immune to that pain. But now, seeing that look in his eyes again, I felt the pain returning. I couldn't take it anymore. Racing over to Naraku's ashes, I picked up the shikon and held it in the palm of my hand. Inuyasha noticed and his eyes slowly began to bleed red. He wanted the jewel.

"Give me the Shikon, Kagome..." he growled as he stood up. I took a step back, backing away from him.

"No, I can't, Inuyasha..." I whispered, knowing that his demon senses would be able to pick up the words that escaped my lips. He snarled and lunged at me to grab it, but was repelled by an invisible barrier. I looked at the Shikon and noticed it's glow. The soft pink light began to grow brighter and brighter until it engulfed me. I let out a scream of pain when I felt something tear into my chest. The light then died down just as quickly as it had come and I felt the pain disappear along with it.

Looking back up at Inuyasha, I saw that his eyes were completely red and that the markings began to make their way across his face. I had taken away wish. I had taken away his only chance at ever becoming a full-blooded demon. On accident, too. No one oculd make a wish on the Shikon anymore. It was gone.

"Inuyasha... please... calm down..." I pleaded but it only fueled the formation of the marks. My eyes grew wide as he lood out a ferocious snarl and I flinched. This couldn't be happening to me.

As he lunged, there was suddenly another bright light and I felt myself being lifted in to the air by an invisible force, and was tossed in to the well, being forced to go home.

What was going on? What had thrown me in to the well? What had happened to Inuyasha? Would I still be able to go through the portal and visit my friends in the Sengoku Jidai? What had happened to the jewel? What would happen to Sango, Miroku, and Shippo? Would Inuyasha kill them? As I was placed unceremoniously on to the ground on my butt, I looked up and saw the wooden ceiling of the shrine's wellhouse. What had sent me back home, and why?

There was suddenly another bright light, this time coming from the area around my ehart, and I found myself in a place that was engulfed in white. Everything was white. there was nothing else, just white. Looking around, I saw a figure coming towards me in the distance. As the figure got closer, I gasped, recognizing her as the warrior miko, Midoriko.

She gave a soft smile and I gave a shaky smile in return. I was shocked. What was Midoriko doing here? I groaned and mentally slapped my forehead. I had to stop coming up with questions. They were doing nothing except making me even more confused than I already was.

"Kagome, I know you're probably wondering why I forced you back in to your own time" she began.

"Wait, you were the one that threw me in to the well?" I asked and she nodded.

"But there was no other choice. Without the jewel, no one can get past the well. I had to seal it to make sure that Inuyasha would not come after you and kill you."

"...You... sealed it...?" I whispered and she nodded.

"There was no other choice. You must forget about the past for now, you will have plenty of time to look back on it later. There is a bigger problem at hand here, in this era. Naraku was not defeated. His human side, Onigumo, remained unscathed so that he could begin the process of becoming a demon over again. He is still alive, but this time you must defeat him without the help of any of your friends from the past. They cannot come here no matter how much both of us want them to. They do not belong in this era."

"Wait a minute... so Naraku is still alive, and I have no control over my miko powers. Doesn't that mean that I'll get killed the moment he sends a demon after me?"

"Yes and no. Because the jewel has fused with your body, I can now help you control your powers. It will eventually become muscle memory and you will no longer need my help after that has been accomplished."

"I see... but what am I supposed to use to protect myself?"

"You cannot run around with weapons in this time, but you can carry a small dagger if it is hidden well. Always keep one on you at all times. Who knows when a demon will come by and sense the jewel inside of you. It would mean your death if you are unprepared, and the death of all the remaining humans. To make sure that you stay safe, I will turn you in to a kitsune until a demon that you need to kill is nearby. You will then turn back in to a human."

She began to fade away so I quickly tried to ask one last question.

"Will there be anyone to help me defeat Naraku or will I have to fight him alone? And what will being a kitsune help me with?" I asked quickly. Okay, two questions. She gave a faint smile.

"There will be people to help you, but they will be a nuisance in the final battle. You must fight the actual Naraku alone, but I cannot answer the second question" she replied. "Once you get out of the wellhouse, run. Run like it's the only thing you've ever been able to do. Run far away and don't go back to your family until you are certain that Naraku is destroyed. He doesn't know where you are now, but once he senses your aura, and finds you living at this shrine, he will get the jewel from you, even if it means disposing of your loved ones." And then she was gone, along with the mass expanse of white.

I looked up at the ceiling of the wellhouse and noticed that it seemed much taller than usual. I also noticed the horrible dusty odor of the building for the first time. Walking over to the ladder, I placed my hand on the first rung and froze when I saw a paw instead. I turned my head and saw that I had a black tail with a white tip. This definitely was not my day.

I sat at the bottom of the ladder and gave a small sigh. I was stuck at the bottom of a dried well as a fox, with no way to get out of the well, and no way to get back to the Sengoku Jidai... perfect... just what i needed...

I was once again suddenly lifted by an invisible force and brought outside of the wellhouse before being set down. Remembering what Midoriko told me to do, I ran. I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could. I weaved through the legs of people in a large crowd, not knowing where I was going, but I knew that I had to get away from the shrine to protect my family. It felt like I was running all day, and I was, leaving screams and shouts of surprise in my wake. I eventually heard sirens. I began to panic, knowing that if I was caught I would be sent to a zoo or something because of my abnormal color. Not to mention the fact that I had been causing a panic in three different cities now.

'Come on, Kagome, you can run faster!!!' I encouraged myself as I picked up speed. I saw a group of trees up ahead and I ran even faster, the people now a blur in my peripheral vision. I made it into the trees and turned my head just in time to see some people with nets came out of a pest control car. I mentally scowled. 'I am not a pest...!'

Turning my head back around and continuing my terrifyingly fast pace, I ran into something and fell back over with a yelp. I got back to my feet... paws... whatever... panting, and looked at what I had run into. I saw a leg. And that was it. I slowly raised my head and saw a girl staring at me. She had large, soft, brown eyes and brown hair.

I noticed two boys beside her. One had orange hair and crimson eyes while the other had gray hair and purple eyes.

"KAWAIII!!!!!!!" the girl suddenly squealed and hugged me. "Its so cute!!!!"

I heard shouting from behind me and my eyes widened. I began to struggle and accidentally scratched her arm in the process, but she let go. I was about to run again when I was roughly picked up by the scruff of my neck and my blue eyes met red.

"Damn kitsunes..." he mumbled and I hissed, kicking and scratching. I got his hand and he winced, letting go of me just as the pest control people broke free of the underbrush. They swung the net at me and it barely missed. Considering I was dead tired I should have been an easy catch.

"Stupid kitsune!" the pest control workers growled as I got away. I stopped, as if to taunt them but was really catching my breath, and I saw them plop to the ground, dead tired. "Dammit! We were so close!!!!" they shouted and I felt a tugging by my heart. Was this what Midoriko meant when I would turn back to a human when a demon was nearby?

I quickly raced into the trees as I was engulfed in light for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and was back in my human form. I was relieved to see that I had clothes on. It wouldn't have been good if I had to fight every youkai naked... I was wearing a black fighting kimono. A little old in the fashion sense but it looked good on me nonetheless, and it was easy to move in, too.

A scream suddenly broke through the air and I ran towards the noise, noticing that I was going back to th place where I was almost caught. I burst in to the clearing and, sure enough, the youkai was in the center of it, scaring the crap out of the poor people. The demon turned towards the girl and raised it's clawed hand. The carrothead raced in front of her just in time to save her and take the blow himself.

"KYO!" the girl shouted, terrified, and I felt some of my powers flare. Midoriko was controlling them and I felt certain muscles in my body move. I tried to memorize how it felt. The youkai felt it and turned towards me, leaving the others alone. I grimaced.

"Jewel..." it growled and took a step towards me. I covered my nose.

"Damn... you REEK! Do all youkai these days smell like you?" I asked and it's beady red eyes narrowed when I thought that couldn't possibly become any smaller.

"Give me the jewel, girl" it commanded and I took a step back as it came closer. It gave a gruewsome smirk, showing its rotting teeth. "Are you scared, girl?" it asked.

"Yeah. Of your face... its horribly ugly..." I replied, scrunching my nose in contempt. It let out a roar of anger and tried to claw me like it did to carrothead. I easilly dodged, not knowing that I could. Must have been Midoriko again. I jumped behind it and placed my hand on its back, snorting in disgust. I sent out some purifying energy and it tured to ashes, along with that wierd gunk on my hand. Thank god. I turned towards the onlookers and saw that "Kyo" guy against the tree, wincing.

I walked over to him and knelt beside him. I looked at his chest and saw three deep gashes. Despite how much I hated him from my first impression, Midoriko made me heal him. I placed my hand on the wound and I felt some muscles tensing in order to transfer the energy so that he could heal. I tried my best to memorize that feeling, too. When he was perfectly fine again I stood up. I gave a slight bow to them all.

"Although I'd love to stay here and answer some quesions, I can't. I've got places to go and people to see so I'll be taking my leave now." I looked at the girl. "You," I stated, pointing at her.

"Y-yes...?" she stammered.

"Make sure carrothead here gets to school. The more he moves, the faster he'll feel better, the less he'll feel like throwing up."

"H-hai..."

I gave a soft smile at her response and walked past her, touching her shoulder.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine" I mmbled in her ear and disappeared in to the trees. After I got a few feet away I had turned back in to a black kitsune and I began to continue my journey when Midoriko's voice filled my ear.

_Stop right there Kagome!_ she commanded and I obeyed. _I sensed something wierd about those two. We'll stay here and observe them. Sound good?_

...okay...

-----------------------Kyo---------------------------

"Carrothead...?" I growled, "I am _not_ a carrothead..."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." Yuki mumbled, staring at the ashes of that... thing... "Your hair is the proper color for it."

"Shut up, rat."

"I don't think I will, kitty. I quite enjoy speaking thank you very much."

I glared and got to my feet. I was about to beat the crap out of 'Prince Yuki' when there was a cry of glee.

"I GOT YOU, YOU STUPID FOX!!!"

I spun around and saw the pest control guy walking towads the clearing, the black fox from before being dragged along with a metal pole with a collar like piece of leather at the end. I looked at it and scowled.

"Stupid fox..." I mumbled in agreement and it hissed at me again, pulling and yanking more at it's bonds. The stormy blue eyes stared in to mine with immeasurable hatred. Wait a minute. Blue eyes? Hatred? Since when did that occur in a fox? Not to mention the wierd marking on it's forehead.

Tohru wouldn't take it though, she was too kind. "Excuse me...?" she asked softly and the man looked at her. "Why are you after that fox...?"

"You haven't heard?" the man asked and Tohru gave a black look that clearly said she had no clue what was going on. "This stupid fox has been creating a ruckus in three different cities now. I know that it's this fox because I've been chasing it all day long."

"Oh..."

The fox suddenly stopped struggling and looked at Tohru. It was using those eyes to make her save it. Damn, that fox was smart.

"What can I do to keep this fox?" she asked and I mentally slapped my forehead. I could tell Yuki was thinking about the same thing as I was. How could she be so nice as to want to take care of a fox?

"Trust me lady, you don't want this fox. It's been running around all day long, knocking people over, stopping traffic and causing accidents. You don't want it."

"Yes I do."

Tohru clearly didn't get the point so I took over for her.

"Look, guy, she wants the damn fox so what do we have to do to keep it?" I asked and the man glared at me.

"...just make sure that the fox doesn't ever run away again. If I see it on the streets without it on a leash and being held back by one of you three, I'm taking it and shooting it."

I nodded and he handed me the pole. I took it and gave it to Tohru as the man walked off.

"There, problem solved" I sighed and continued to walk back to the home, Tohru and Yuki following close behind with the fox, now seemingly satisfied, causing more trouble by running into my legs the entire way back. On purpose, might I add. I have no clue how I know that it was on purpose, but I swear I saw a sadistic smile on that damn kitsune's face when I walked into the house.

--------------------------Kagome-----------------------

As the girl catiously took the collar off of me, I shook myself to get the fur back in to place and sat down, looking around. There was suddenly another man that looked to be about twenty or so with black hair staring at me with great interest as he sat beside me.

"Hmmm... what an interesting fox..." he mumbled as everyone else left. He stayed in that position, looking at me, until he was sure that everyone was occupied doing something else. I could tell that he knew something wasn't right about me.

"Let's see here..." he sighed, "are you part of the Sohma family?"

I cocked my head to the side to show that I was confused.

"Nevermind then..."

I cocked my head even more.

The man groaned, trying to think of something. "Okay... what's your name?" he asked and I gave a small bark. "...I'm sorry, I didn't understand that..."

I gave the fox's form of a sigh and looked at him as I stood up. He did the same and I led him outside to a patch of dirt. Using my nose and paws, I created messy lines in the dirt.

"Kigami?" he asked and I shook my head. "Kogame?" Shook my head again. "Kogami?" Once again, no. "Kagomi?" Nope. "Kagome?" I nodded and he looked at the dirt. "...Kagome..." he mumbled, letting it roll off his tongue. "How old are you? 18?" Nope. "17?" Nope. "16." I nodded again. "Interesting... I'll have to see you in your human form some time, then, won't I?"

So you can act like Miroku? I think not... Stupid adult males trying to find get a teenage girl... shame on them!

I heard Midoriko giving a small laugh in my mind.

"Hey, Shigure!" I heard carrothead shout as he came outside, "Who you talking to?"

"Oh, no one. By the way, meet Kagome!" the man, now known as Shigure, chirped.

"...the fox..?" Kyo asked uncertainly and Shigure nodded, a dumb grin on his face.

"She's 16 and her name is Kagome!"

Kyo scowled and shook his head. "There is seriously something wrong with you. I'm calling Hatori over so he can check your brain..." he mumbled, going back in to the house and picking up a phone. He punched in a few numbers.

"Ah, Kyo! Its so nice, knowing that you actually worry!"

"Hello? Yeah, Hatori? Uh huh. I think you should come and take a look at Shigure. No, he's not hurt... at least I don't think he is... His brain might be a little messed up though."

"How can you be so mean, Kyo?"

Kyo glared at Shigure. "Uh... he's claiming that he can talk to a fox over here so..." Kyo put the phone down. "That was fast... He didn't even let me finish the sentence..."

One of the doors was suddenly knocked over and a cloud of dust formed, making everyone cough and sneeze. When it finally cleared out my black fur was now completely gray.

What the hell is this place and what am I doing here...?


	2. Problem 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except maybe the evil pest control workers, haven't decided who they should be yet. They might be OC but maybe not. Hmmmmm...

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 2

Near Death Experience With a Man Carrying a Stick

_Midoriko_

-Kagome and anyone else-

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Beginning to clean up my fur, I let out a grumpy growl and stared at the broken door. There were two more people there, both men. One had multi-colored hair, half white and half black. He had an emotionless gaze that reminded me a lot about Sesshoumaru, but I could tell that his eyes held kindness and compassion so it would be kind of rude to compare him to the inuyoukai.

The man beside him hat black hair and muddy gold eyes. His hair covered the left one eye and hid it from view.

"That wasn't necessary, Haru, but thank you nonetheless..." the man with black hair mumbled.

"Haru!" Shigure cried, "I just got that door fixed!"

"Then buy another one" Kyo grumbled as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor. The man, now known as Haru, followed him. And then it was me, Shigure, and this unknown man that had just come in. He had on a labcoat so I guessed he was some sort of doctor. Not to mention he held a suitcase-like bag in his right hand.

"...Is this this the fox that Kyo was talking about?" he asked and Shigure nodded. "Do you have anywhere private?"

"Why, of course! You can always go in to the bathroom or my office, though my office is not highly recommended!" Shigure replied, a little bit too happily, but the man walked over to the office anyways. He looked back at me, expecting me to follow, and I did.

-Is this safe, Midoriko?-

_I'm not sure..._

After I had stepped completely in to the room, he gently shut the door behind me and sat down on the chair, looking at me with his calculating eyes. It was almost as if he could see straight through me and into my soul.

_There is something inside of him, Kagome..._

-Something as in what? A youkai?-

_No, an animal. Just a normal animal..._

"...can you turn in to a human? It would be easier to answer questions if you did."

-Should I? I don't know how to do it by choice...-

_I'll allow it this one time. I have questions that need to be answered, too._

I closed my eyes and there was a flash of light and a puff of smoke. After I knew that I had clothes on, I stood up and stared at the man in front of me with my stormy blue-gray eyes.

---------------------------Hatori------------------------------

I sat on the chair waiting patiently for the smoke to clear. An unclear form shifted in the smoke and it stood up. I stared at the woung woman in front of me. She wearing a black fighting kimono. That made sense, considering her fox form was black. Her hair was long, black and reached her waist and her stormy blue eyes stared at me as she moved her bangs out of the way. I was glad Shigure wasn't in here. He might have made some comment that was better off not said.

"Who are you?" I asked and she didn't answer. I repeated myself, this time slower.

"I can understand you perfectly fine!" she growled and I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Then why didn't you answer?"

"Because you could just ask that stupid mutt Shigure outside."

I felt my eyes widen. She knew Shigure was a dog?

"I want to hear it from you."

"My name is Higurashi Kagome and I'm 16, turning 17 next week" she stated.

"...why do you turn in to a fox?" I questioned and she scowled.

"That is confidential information. I cannot tell you at this current point in time" she muttered, deciding to use slightly more advanced words.

"Very well then" I mumbled and stood up. "Do you mind if I give you a check up?"

"Yes, I do mind thank you very much" she replied, "I'm not letting you touch anywhere on me. I don't know who you are."

"Gomen" I stated, giving a small bow. "My name is Sohma Hatori. I'm the family doctor."

"Just because you're a doctor doesn't mean I'm going to let you give me a check up you know."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

----------------------------------Kagome-----------------------------------

_Stop being so rude, Kagome. Humor him._

I let out a low growl but scowled and looked at the wall.

-Fine-

"What do you want to do?" I asked, still finding great interest in the wall.

"Just check your blood pressure and all the simplistic things like that."

"So you not going to pull out a random gun, shoot me, and then disect me or some other horrid action?"

He gave a tiny laugh. "No. I'm not going to disect you."

"...go ahead..." I mumbled and he walked over. Like he said, he did the simple things. Checking my eyes, my mouth, pulse... When he finally stepped away I glared at him with a look of annoyance. Why was I doing this again? Oh yeah, because Midoriko told me to.

"Your pulse and blood pressure seem normal, but your eyes... they seemed different."

"My eyesight is heightened because of my other form, along with my sense of smell."

"I see..."

"What's inside of you? I can sense something there, but I can't tell what it is. I feel no evil intentions, either..."

_Kagome_!

-Youkai-

_We have to hurry! We need to draw the youkai away from this area or else they'll see us!_

-They already saw us!-

_They forgot. I didn't want it to get on the news, so while you were in the fox form, I left your body for a short time to erase their memories._

-Oh...-

_Hurry, Kagome!_

I looked at Hatori, and then at the door. Letting out an embarrassed laugh, which made him look at me in confusion, I slammed the door open, breaking it on accident.

"Not another door..." Shigure whimpered.

"Sorry! I'll pay for it!" I shouted back at him, racing past Yuki, surprising him, and out the front door. I kept running, crashing through the trees, until Midoriko deemed it far enough to release some energy. I felt the youkai change directions and start coming towards me. I took out the knife, getting nervous. I still didn't have much practice with fighting yet.

_You will become use to this Kagome. Just give it some time._

I nodded and the youkai charged through the trees and straight at me. It was definitely better looking than the one earlier today, but still butt ugly. What happened to all the hot youkai like Sesshoumaru? I slapped myself mentally. I did not just call that prick Sesshoumaru hot...

_What are you doing, Kagome?! **Jump**!_

I was shoved back in to reality and reacted just a little too slow. The youkai succeeded in slashing my right leg open and I screamed in pain. I was on the ground, looking at the evil being that had hurt me and saw that I didn't have to look far. It was standing right over me. It grabbed me and I groaned as it pressed my against a tree. I was pretty sure that I cracked a bone or two.

"Damn... smelly... little... buttmunch!" I hissed as I let out my purifying aura and bathed him in it. He/she/it immediately turned to dust with a cry of pain and I gave a sigh of relief, regretting it once the air left my mouth. I whimpered as I fell to my knees, holding my side. There was a flash of light and I was a fox.

_I'm sorry Kagome, but you can heal faster in this form._

-That's not important right now. We need to plan out what to do next. Should we go back to the Sohma house?-

_I think that's really the only choice we have if you don't want that injury to get infected._

"It's you again..." a voice growled from behind me and I spun around, falling over because of the loss of the use of one of my legs. I got back up and saw those damned pest controllers. I turned around and was about to run when I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck again. I hissed and scratched him, which only succeeded on getting me dropped on my back. I yelped and scrambled to my feet, racing back to the house. No matter how much I hated that house, it was my only source of safety and the only home that I could stay in without getting caught.

Once I got close enough, I heard Shigure calling out my name. I tried to pick up speed but yelped in pain again when the stretch in my leg muscles increased, stretching the wound.

"Kagome!!!"

The voice was getting closer, but so was the stupid persistent worker. I mean, I hadn't caused any trouble this time, have I?

"Got you!" the man laughed hysterically as I was tackled to the forest floor. I yelped and hissed, squirming in his grasp. I eventuall struggled free as the man was holding me down while standing up and I fell to the ground just as quickly as I got up. I looked up at him, horrified at what was going to happen to me. He had a small branch in his hand and he raised it. I tried to get up but I the running just made the injuries worse. I couldn't move my hind right leg anymore.

"The boss told me to kill you if I had to, and I guess that's what its come to. Would've rather sent you to a zoo, but I don't think they'll want you anymore, not in the shape you're in."

I squeezed my eyes shut and folded my ears back as I felt the branch connect with my head with a loud crack. I yelped in pain and tried to get up, but the pain in my head made everything foggy and unclear. I could make out the branch being raised again and I collapsed, not knowing what to do anymore. I couldn't move. As I fell in to a world of black, I saw a big black blur flying towards me.

-----------------------Shigure------------------------

After seeing Kagome run out the front door I decided to follow her. Not getting very far before I lost her, I began to wander around, looking for the girl. Too bad I didn't know what she looked like. I was basically wandering the streets without any clue at all about her whereabouts and what she looked like. When i couldn't find her near the house on the roads, I decided to look in the woods.

There was a scream of pain and I looke towards that direction. Maybe it was Kagome. Running towards where the scream came from, I accidentally ran in to a lot of people. Only one had to be a girl, and one was. Luckily, it was near the house, and even better, it was Tohru.

"Shigure-sama...?" she asked hesitantly and I looked up at her once the smoke cleared. "are you okay...?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, Tohru, and I'm terribly sorry but I have a fox to find. I'll be back home later tonight, though." I quickly grabbed the clothes in my mouth and darted towards the woods. After running around in the woods for a few minutes I put the clothes down so that I could run faster.

"Kagome!" I called and I heard a yelp and hissing. I sped towards the noise, and when I was close enough to see what was happening I was just in time to see her get hit in the head with a really, really, big stick. That usually wasn't a good sign. As the man raised the stick again I flew out of the bushes, snarling, and bit the branch, ripping it from his hands.

-Note to self: never eat wood-

I dropped the stick, but not far enough. He lunged for it and swung it down on _my _head, too. It hurt. I shook my head free of the stars that swam around in my vision and saw him about to hit Kagome again. I quickly ran over to her, gently lifted her in my mouth by the back of her neck, and jumped out of the way just in time to not get hit by the stick. It snapped in half once it made contact with the ground. The man threw the stick at me and barely missed, which made me run faster.

I kept running, ignoring the gatigue in my legs, and after I made it back to my clothes and set Kagome down, I waited for myself to change back. I did a few minutes later and quickly put the clothes on before anyone could see me naked. Looking back at Kagome, I saw a bright flash of light and a puff of smoke, just like what happened when I transformed, and saw a girl in the fox's place. I froze when I saw her. She was beautiful.

-Would've been better if she transformed like me. Without any clothes on...-

I kneeled down and looked at her intently. I couldn't carry her home otherwise I'd become a dog again. That wouldn't work out too well. Starting to feel a throbbing on my head I rubbed the area, wincing. I looked at my fingers and saw blood. That wasn't good. I frowned and sighed, looking at Kagome again. She shifted and I held my breath. Opening her eyes, she looked at me and gave a tiny smile.

"Stupid mutt..." she whispered, pained, and she slowly sat up with much difficulty. She looked at me again and noticed the blood on my head. She touched the area and the pain went away. She then touched the wound on her leg and healed that, too. Touching her ribcage, she winced.

"...crap..." she whispered, swaying. "Don't have enough..."

"Don't have enough what?" I asked and she looked at me, eyes dull. Then she fainted. Right there in front of me. I whimpered in confusion.

To Be Continued... (Read below for available pairings)

* * *

Thanks a ton for the reviews, guys!!!!! Oh, and I guess I wasn't exactly very clear in the summary... heh heh... the pairings are not decided yet, I just want some feedback on what pairings people like. I don't think I'm going to do YukiKagome. Idk why, I just don't like them as couple... I also see a lot of KyoKagome and not much anything else (from what I've seen) so the pairings I'm willing to write are:

1. Shigure/Kagome

2. Hatori/Kagome

3. Kureno/Kagome

4. Kyo/Kagome

Votes would be nice, lol! and thanks for reading!!!


	3. Problem 3

Disclaimer: I still own nothing...

For those of you that voted, thank you SOOO much! The polls are still open until like... I don't know, chapter 4 of 5 so feel free to vote if there's a specific pairing that you want. What we have so far is:

1. Hatori/Kagome:4

2. Shigure/Kagome:2

3. Kyo/Kagome:2

4. Kureno/Kagome:1

Once again, if there is a specific pairing that you want, message me and I'll add it on!

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The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 3

The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me all the Time, Seriously

Midoriko

-Everyone else-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking at her limp body, I wondered how I ever got in to this predicament. Oh yeah. I ran out of the house looking for her... but no matter, I would think of a way to bring her back with her in her human form. Not wanting to leave her here alone, I was tearing my brain apart for ideas. Giving up, I decided to just pick her up. If she could turn in to a fox, that would mean that she's similar to the juunishi... right...? And if she's similar to the juunishi, then I wouldn't have to worry about carrying a girl!

-Shigure, you are so smart...- I gave myself a mental pat on the back and tried to pick her up. Yes. _Tried_. Apparently, she _wasn't _similar to the juunishi. That meant that I _did _have to worry about carrying her. Too bad I figured that out _after_ I turned in to a dog... I growled my frustration andbit the back of the collar on her clothing, yanking her back to the house (After I put my clothes on top of her, of course).

"...What are you doing, Shigure...?" I heard Hatori ask a few minutes later and I turned around to see him standing over me.

"Are we close to home?" I asked innocently and he shook his head.

"We're about a mile away, if you call that close" he replied and I slowly let go of Kagome.

"Do you want to check her ribs now? I think they're either cracked or broken... And there's no way that her state is going to stay the same if I drag her back the rest of the way."

"Shigure? _Worried_? I think that this young maiden has done something truly amazing if you, of all people, are worried about her in a non-perverted way."

"Well, she's beautiful, strong, not to mention she can turn into a very adorable fox."

"..."

"That's all you have to say, Hatori?"

"I take back all the praise I just gave you."

"What?!?!"

"...Inu...yasha..." Kagome whimpered and we both looked at her. "...no...don't..."

I gave Hatori a confused look but he didn't notice because he began to check her ribs.

"Leave him alone..." she whispered.

"Kagome..." Hatori mumbled softly, trying to wake her up. Nothing happened. "Kagome" he called again.

"Sango..." she breathed out.

"Kagome!" I shouted and her eyes snapped open as she shot up, giving me a very good view of her cleavage. She noticed where my eyes were going and she clenched her fist, beginning to tremble. Hatori was smart enough to step back. I could actually begin to see fire around her and I shrunk back.

"Eh heh... it was an accident?" I squeaked out. I suddenly felt something connecting with my head that hurt a lot more than a branch, and I was knocked over, whimpering, as I held my head. Tears began to form in my eyes from the pain and I cracked an eye open to see her standing over me.

"Accident my ass..." she hissed.

Now that she mentioned it... I did have a good view of-

"EEEEEK!!!!"

I could feel the beginning of another lump on my head starting to form. After that was over, she stormed away grumbling things like "stupid houshi" and "why is there always some perverted baka?"

I looked at Hatori and he just looked at me.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" I whimpered and he walked over to me, poking the bump. I flinched.

"Because you deserved it, baka."

"No I didn't!"

"Yes, you did actually."

"No I-"

There was suddenly a loud crash from and a scream of surprise. I shot to my feet and began to run in the direction it came from. So did Hatori.

--------------------------Kagome---------------------------

Kagome

-Stupid perverted bakas that-

KAGOME!

-What?!-

I was suddenly pinned against a tree and I felt it crack. I opened my eye a tiny bit to see another youkai. It added more pressure on to my body and I groaned, not being able to get air in my lungs anymore.

There was suddenly a bright flash of light and it disintegrated in to ash.

-What did you do, Midoriko...?- I panted for air, trying to calm my panicking nerves.

Put us in a barrier. Nobody can see what's going on anymore. I also let some energy out from your body so it destroyed the youkai. You have to learn not to just use your hands when it comes to purifying.

"Why are we in a barrier?" I asked softly, looking at my surroundings.

Because there are more youkai on the way. I blocked out the people so the youkai can't harm them.

"That's good to-"

Behind you!

I swung around, pulling a dagger out, and threw it where the energy was coming from. It was blocked by a huge, all to recognizable sword.

"Dammit! How many of them are there, Midoriko?! I feel like this is the hundredth one today!!!!" I snarled.

Expect more she answered as I faced the attacker straight on.

"...Inu...yasha...?" I whispered and the sword lowered to reveal the demon form of Inuyasha.

You have to kill him, Kagome! He's too far gone!

"Inuyasha... what are you doing- Eeek!"

He lunged and slashed. I barely dodged, but I came out with a gash on my arm.

"Inuyasha... please, tell me what's wrong..."

Kagome!!!! He's not the same anymore!

He lunged again but this time I didn't even attempt to dodge. I trusted that he wouldn't hurt me. He swung down and he bounced off another barrier.

Kagome, snap out of it!

Inuyasha got to his feet and glared at me. He hated me. He really hated me. As he lunged again, I forced Midoriko back so that she couldn't control my powers.

What are you doing?! Let me out of here! Kagome!!!!

"If you hate me that much... kill me, Inuyasha... I should've died long ago..."

No!

"Kaze Kizu!" Inuyasha snarled and I shut my eyes as the attack flew towards me.

KAGOME!!!!

I felt it hit me and I screamed in pain. Collapsing to the ground, I looked up and saw Inuyasha standing over me. His eyes were dull and held no life, but I could see something going on behind them.

"Give me the jewel, Kagome..." he growled and I felt some energy return to me.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I can't do that..."

"Give me the jewel!"

"I can't..."

"You took everything away from me, Kagome! You took away Kikyo, you took the jewel, you even took my last chance at eternal rest..."

"What are you talking about...?"

"Give me the jewel" he snarled.

"I can't!!"

"Then I'll take it by force!"

He lunged again but this time hit the barrier from before again. Before he attack again, he suddenly stood up straight, ears twitching, before running off. That's when the full extent of the pain reached my body and I bit back a scream.

Kagome... you have to heal yourself...

"I don't have anymore energy left!" I whispered.

You have a lot of it left! What are you talking about?

"I can't feel it... I can't call it out... It's not there anymore..."

Kagome...

"He hates me..."

What...?

"He hates me..." I whimpered, feeling tears drip down my cheeks. "He hates me..."

Kagome, please, calm down...

There was a snap but I ignored the noise. I closed my eyes instead.

"...he hates me..."

-------------------Kyo-----------------

I felt something calling to me and I turned in the direction I felt that I had to go. Walking in to the woods, I felt the feeling getting stronger and stronger. So strong that I started to run. The need to be by whatever was calling me was just that strong. The closer I got, the faster I ran. I stopped when I arrived next to a clearing. The metallic smell of blood was strong.

"...he hates me..."

I felt the thing calling me suddenly just disappear, as if it never happened, and there was a crack from behind me. I spun around and saw Shigure and Hatori. They seemed to have run here, too.

"What's going on...?" I asked and they looked at the clump of red in the center of the clearing. I didn't get an answer.

There was suddenly a rustling noise and a small white cat burst through the woods. It skidded to a stop once it saw the red clump and it looked around, sniffing the air. When it was satisfied, it walked closer to the bloody heap. It licked it and the heap shifted. There was a quick intake of air.

"...Kirara..." it, now identified as a her, whispered.

A small meow came from the cat in response, along with a nod, and the girl quickly hugged the white furball closer.

"Kirara..." she sobbed.

I looked back to see that Hatori had left.

"He went to go get some supplies to help fix the girl with" Shigure stated. I gave a slow nod. I had never seen Shigure so serious before. He looked almost... scared... but why...?

"What are you keeping from me?" I asked and he gave me a quick glance.

"You'll figure it out soon. All in due time, Kyo."

"..." I turned around and began to walk back to the house. I saw Hatori taking his time getting back to the clearing and noticed that he wasn't quite acting the same either. Then again, none of us were.

**T**o **B**e **C**ontinued...

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Thanks for reading, peeps!!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I have a slightly gory preference when it somes to stories... heh heh... and, my stories tend not to have happy endings... I'll try to make one eventually, though. Trying to think about which ones deserve happy endings. heh heh...


	4. Problem 4

Some more votes have come in, and here is how they stand:

1. Hatori/Kagome:4

2. Shigure/Kagome:4

3. Kyo/Kagome:2

4. Kureno/Kagome:1

Polls are still open so you can still vote, and this is the last chapter! After this chapter, the results will be confidential! You'll just have to figure out the pairing yourself.

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 4

Recuperation

---------Kagome--------

I opened my eyes and looked around, groaning. Trying to sit up, I felt pain all across my body and I winced. That's when it all came back to me. Inuyasha, my powers, everything. Looking at my bandaged body, I began to wonder what had been going on in my mind when Inuyasha attacked me. I acted so stupidly...

Sighing, I looked around the white room and saw that there was really nothing interesting. There was a window to my left and a door to my right. A table was against the wall in front of me.

"You've woken up"

I turned my head towards the door and looked at the man in front of me. What was his name again? Hotoni? No. Hatori, that was it. I nodded in response and he sat down beside me.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine."

"That's good to hear. You've been lying here for the past week or so."

"Week?! I have to get going before-" I began, quickly standing up. I then fell back over because of the pain.

"You shouldn't be standing" he informed.

"I noticed..." I growled and looked around the room again. I stared at the ceiling, the wall, the door, anywhere but him.

"You need to go somewhere?" he asked and I gave a small nod. "If you want, I can drive you there."

I shook my head. "I just need to leave. I have no destination. Staying in one place for too long makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh."

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!" then rang around the house and Hatori gave a small smile.

"It seems that Kyo has finally been aqcuainted with your little cat."

"Is she okay? She isn't hurt, is she?" I asked worriedly.

"No, she's perfectly fine. The only thing that's going to happen is to Kyo."

Speak of the devil, hear came the carrothead now.

"THAT DAMNED CAT BIT ME!!!!"

A small "mew" came from behind him and Kirara jumped on to my lap, purring. I looked at him and sure enough, there were four little holes in his hand, where Kirara's teeth had broken skin.

"Calm down, Kyo" Hatori sighed.

"The damned thing bit me!!! How am I supposed tp calm down?!?! The thing might have RABIES for all I know!!!"

"Kirara does not have rabies, Kyo, you can relax" I replied calmly and he glared at me.

"How would you know? You've never been bitten by her before!!!"

"Kyon kyon... learn to behave" Shigure's voice commanded and Kyo glared down the hallway.

"What do you mean behave?! I'm sure you would act like this if you were bitten by some random cat!"

"But Kyo, you should know it's not some random cat after living in the same house with it for a week" Shigure pointed out as he stepped in to view. He noticed me and smiled.

"Hello Kagome!" he chirped, "It's nice to see you awake!"

"Uh... thank you...?" I mumbled, continuing to pet Kirara. He walked closer but Kirara let out a loud hiss, making him step back.

"I guess Tohru is the only one that it likes" he stated, giving a small laugh.

"Oh." I honestly didn't care.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and I gave a small pout.

"Kind of hungry. Kind of thirsty, too."

"Kyo, go get her something to eat and drink."

"Why do I have to?!"

"Just do it."

"...You didn't have to do that, Shigure" I informed and he looked back at me.

"I felt like it, so yes I did."

"Kagome-san" the boy with gray hair stated as he walked in with some food and water.

"..."

"Why are you doing Kyo's job, Yuki?"

"Because he made Tohru do it."

I watched as they talked and I heard a sigh come from beside me. I saw Hatori and he gave me a small smile.

"Why don't you rest, Kagome?" he suggested and I slowly lied back down, taking his advice. I needed to get better so I could keep the innocent people around me out of trouble and danger.

'They can't get hurt... I can't let them...'

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I know this chapter is reeeeeaaaaaaallllllllllllllly short but I don't have any more ideas! I need my mind to get recharged so I can think of something. If you any ideas then PLEASE tell me! R&R! Plus, Happy early new year!


	5. Problem 5

I know, I know, I haven't updated this story in a really long time! Like I said in the last chapter, I couldn't think of any ideas, so I stopped adding on to this story. However, thanks to Lindsay-chan's help I can finally continue the story, with a small twist to her idea, obviously. But thank's for the reviews!!! Also, I got a review about the difference between a kitsune and a fox. They call her both because they think that she's a regualr fox, but the way she acts and how she attracts people makes it seem like they're under a spell, so they call her kitsune. It's kind of confusing but i'm not good at explaining things like this!

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 5

"Talking"

-Midoriko-

'Everyone else's thoughts'

---------------------------------------

"Kagome-chan! Wake up!"

I groaned and cracked an eye open to see an all too happy Tohru.

I had decided to stay put for a while and recover from my injuries, but ended up staying a lot longer than I thought that I would. My wounds had all healed nicely with little to no scars. Why I wasn't a fox was beyond me, but I assumed it had something to do with recovering my energy. I had used a lot to stay in that form, and even Midoriko's power was wiped out because of the extended period of transformation.

"It's only 5:00" I mumbled sleepily.

"It takes us half an hour to get there, Kagome-chan. If you don't get up we will be late!"

"mmmnnnnnnnnggghhhh" I moaned and slowly sat up. Blinking tiredly, I looked up at her. "Fine, alright! I'm up..."

She clapped her hands in glee and began to walk out when I began to stand.

"Oh, Kagome-chan?" she called as she halted and I look up at her again. "I left your uniform in the closet, and I already packed the supplies you need."

"Thanks Tohru..." I mumbled and walked over to the closet as she shut the door. Opening it up, I saw the uniform dangling from a hanger. Sighing, I took it and changed into it. After combing my hair and doing all those other things, I went downstairs to see Kyo and Yuki fighting, as usual. Walking into the kitchen, I walked straight through their battle, dodging random kicks and punches, and safely made it to the refridgerator on the other side. Ducking as I opened the lower door, a plate hit the fridge a few inches above me and shattered onto the ground. I concentrated as much energy as I could to form a small and weak barrier to protect me from the falling glass. When I grabbed the milk, I avoided the glass shards and sat down at the kitchen table across from Shigure.

"Good morning, Kagome" he stated calmly, glancing up from his newspaper.

"Good morning" I replied, pouring the milk in a bowl and grabbing a box of cereal that was already placed on the table. I leaned my body to the right as a random vase flew by and shattered against the wall. After getting the cereal, I sat down and began to eat. This time, I leaned to the left as a book zoomed past the right of my face and landed in my breakfast, splattering it everywhere. Luckily, I had created a small barrier just in time to guard me from it. Shigure, however, had slightly worse luck. Although the newspaper he held blocked most of the milk and cereal, some of it still hit him. Glancing at the two boys, then back at my ruined breakfast, I felt anger boiling up in me. I stood up and turned to face the two boys. The fiery aura around me could even be seen by them.

The moment I stood, the two stopped fighting and they looked at me. I slowly made my way over to them, knowing that they wouldn't move.

"Kyo..." I ground out and he looked at me.

"What?"

"You ruined my breakfast...!"

"How?"

"By fighting..."

"Yuki was doing it too!" he whined and I let out a low growl from deep within my throat.

"Well Yuki wasn't the one that threw the book, now, was he?!?!" I shouted and punched him. After releasing that little bit of anger, I relaxed a tiny bit. Looking at Yuki I gave a curt nod and was about to leave the kitchen when Kyo mumbled something under his breath. I turned around. "Care to repeat that, Kyo?" I hissed and he stood up.

"I said, 'Stupid girl always blaming me and never Yu-"

I cut him off with another blow to the head. "You don't have as large as a fan club as he does, so I won't have to worry as much if I hurt you! If I hurt Yuki and he got a bruise the fanclub would hunt me down. I could easilly beat them all but I don't want to have to deal with that."

"So you hurt me instead?!"

"Yeah! You got a problem with that?!"

"YES! I DO!"

"THEN PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IT IS! I MIGHT ACTUALLY LISTEN FOR ONCE!"

"I DON'T SEE WHY YOU'RE STILL AROUND! You said you would leave after you recovered, but you're still here! Why? Tohru's a better cook than you so you don't have to stay for that! Not to mention she cleans the house and does all the laundry, too! Oh! Plus-"

I punched him again, the impact making him break through the screen door. "Screw that..." I grumbled, "You remind me so much of him that it makes me sick." With that, I glared at him, and then walked out of the kitchen, deciding to leave for school earlier than the others.

--------------------------Yuki-----------------------------

"Shigure..." I murmured and he looked at me.

"Hmm?"

"...don't you think its weird for her to just leave Kyo like that? They usually argue for much longer."

"It's fine. She's probably just upset that she has to go to school again" he commented, looking back at his newpaper.

"For some reason, I really don't think that's it..."

"Just leave her alone for a while, she'll be back to her usual routine by tomorrow."

"...this will be one of the few times that I take your advice. If you're wrong, then I'll have to hurt you."

"Ooo... scary."

------------------Kagome---------------------

I kicked a rock, grumbling to myself as I made my way to school through the path in the woods.

"First Inuyasha with all of that 'Kikyo's more beautiful and is a better miko than you'll ever be!' crap... now this... Damn Kyo with his 'Tohru's better than you are!' junk that I don't care about... no offense Tohru... and I finally thought that I would be AWAY from all of this-"

I stopped mid-sentence when I I felt an all too familiar chill run down my spine. Hearing a rustling noise that wasn't made by the wind, I turned around. My eyes met the swaying movement of the elaves and that was all. Looking around uncertainly, I slowly turned around and stifled a scream when my eyes met red. My senses screamed 'Demon!' but I couldn't summon any of my energy as I jumped back.

'What's going on?!?! Why can't I reach it?!'

"The miko who holds the shikon... how lucky I must be to meet you at such an hour..." he mused. Taking a closer look, all I could see was a black, shadowy blob.

"I have no clue what you're talking about..."

"Oh, yes you do, my dear miko..."

"I'm not a miko..."

"Don't lie to me, dear. I can sense it on you... you have an enormous amount of strength, but you can't use it, can you? You can't purify me no matter how hard you try..." he hissed, stepping closer.

"Stay away from me!"

-Kagome, are you going to be alright?-

'WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!'

It took another step and I took another step back.

"Stop running, I won't hurt you..."

I sneered. "I highly doubt that... but at least the appearances of you things have improved. I don't have to look at a butt-ugly face anymore."

"Why you-"

I dodged its attack and raced past it, tearing down the path of the woods. I saw the city and sighed with relief. It wouldn't attack me in the city... would it? What was I thinking? Of course it would attack me in the city! As I stepped onto the bright sidewalk, however, I heard a hiss from behind me. I glanced behind me and saw the youkai in the safety of the trees, staying in the shadows.

"...a shadow youkai..." I whispered and it snarled. I stepped back and slowly turned around, starting my fast run again. I had to get to school.

The farther away I got from the trees, the more relaxed my body felt. When I reached the school, I noticed that I was early and that I had time to find my classroom. Going to the office to pick up my classroom number, I felt another chill run down my spine.

"Ow! Kyo hurt me!!!" a kid whined and I turned to see a boy with blonde hair.

"Oh shut it, Momiji! When are you finally going to wear your normal uniform?!"

"But I like this one better!!!"

"That doesn't answer my question!"

I walked over to them both and roughly shoved Kyo over and replaced him. The boy looked up at me, blinking.

"Hi! I'm Kagome. Kyo seems to be acting like a moron again so I've come to replace him."

"Who's being a moron?!" Kyo shouted, hopping to his feet. "You're the moron you moron!"

I calmly gazed over at him. When my eyes met his I gave a deadly glare that clearly said 'one more word and I"ll kill you before you can even blink'. I saw a small shiver run down his spine. I turned back to the boy and saw him staring at me in awe.

"Sugoi...!" the boy, Momiji, whispered and gave a confused look. "Tohru nee-san is usually the only one that can calm him down!"

"I'll take that as a compliment then!" 'Kawaii! He's adorable!'

"What class are you in?" Momiji asked and I looked at the slip of paper.

"Uh... 6-B"

"Awww, dangit! That's not my class!!!" he whined and I did a double take. "I wanted to see you do some more tricks on Kyo..."

"W-what?" I stammered.

"Momiji is in the same grade that we are" Yuki commented as he came over with Tohru. "You, however, seem to be two grades above us. How old are you?"

"I'm 17, but I should I"m in my last year at high school."

"I thought you had to be 18 to graduate..." Yuki mumbled and I shook my head.

"Nope. I'm graduating once this school year is over."

"Oh..." they all said at once. I gave a small laugh and felt another shiver run down my back.

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked and I nodded.

"I need to go. I'll be right back."

"But our class is right here..."

"I"m going to go look for the bathroom!" I stated quickly and ran off. I had to get out of here so that they wouldn't get hurt. I wasn't about to let them get injured because of a youkai when the stupid demon is after me. And the shikon. How could I ever forget to mention the hell-spawn jewel that was a demon magnet? Whatever. I had to get out of here.


	6. Problem 6

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 6

"Talking"

-Midoriko-

'Everyone else's thoughts'

------------------------------------

Oh, the horrors of being a preistess on the run from so many wonderful demons that didn't know how to play dead... or stay dead when they really were supposed to... Racing down the bland, gray street with the blazing sun glaring down at me, the untrustworthy people walking by giving me strange looks. The scalding heat surrounded me, suffocating my sweat-drenched body. A lone crow in the distance gave a mighty "CAW!" and then flapped its wings, flying into the distance. In reality, it may have been a much better day. In an optimistic world, someone most positively would've said something along the lines of: Running down the unique, streets with the bright sun smiling down on me, the pedestrians walking by acknowledged my existence... or something like that. However, this world wasn't reality, but a distorted view from my anything BUT my optimistic perspective.

Getting a haunting feeling, I turned around and saw red eyes staring out at me from the shadows. Stupid shadow youkai was still following me...

"That's IT!" I screamed, spinning around and pointing at the red orbs. "If you want to kill me then hurry up and DO IT!!!"

That one sentence alone caught everyone's attention, making them all stare at me. I ignored them and stayed that in position for a long time, pointing at the red slits with my fuming aura resonating off of me like a flame.

"Mommy, what's she doing?"

"Don't look at her."

"Why not?"

"Because normal people don't go running around screaming, dear."

"Oh."

I sweat dropped as a random breeze blew by when I heard that conversation. Whimpering, I dropped my head and hand. Was I really that weird? Okay, I was pretty dfferent, I had to admit that. How many people could claim that they could turn a demon into ash by just touching one? Not many...

There was chuckling behind me and I spun around to see Shigure standing right there, laughing his butt off. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and I glared at him.

"What?" I demanded, crossing my arms and looking away with a pout on my face. Gosh, Inuyasha was rubbing off on me.

"Nothing, nothing" he stated, calming himself down. The thought of Inuyasha made me scowl even more, but the thought of the subjugation beads on his neck made me smirk. Maybe I would make poor little Kyon a set and stick them on his neck.

'But if I do that, they can't be too big otherwise it'll catch everyone's attention... and what color would suit him... Should I use pink just to spite him...? Or should I be nice and use orange to match his hair color...?'

"Kagome...?" I heard Shigure call and I was shoved away from my fantasies.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you at school? It should have started by now..."

"Oh... that's because... I uh... That's a really good question, you know..." 'I'm screwed...'

"No matter. Get going, Kagome, before you miss even more school" he commanded, taking my shoulders, turning me around, and shoving me in the proper direction. He suddenly yelped and jumped back, shaking something off of his hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked, suddenly feeling a burst of power surging through me. I relaxed greatly, happy that my miko powers had come back. He gave a small nod, whimpering as he looked at his smoking hand. He looked up at me.

"What was that?" he asked in a whisper and I gave a nervous laugh, turning around.

"I'm going to go to school now so if you don't mi-" I stopped midsentence when I felt him grab my wrist, spinning me back around. I accidentally unleashed some of my miko ki out of surprise and he hissed in pain, pulling his hand back again. He looked at his smoking hand, then at me, trying to figure out what was going on. The feeling of dark magic that I suddenly felt on him made me shy away from him out of instinct as he stood up. I took one step back, then another, letting my miko instincts getting the better of me. A curse... he was cursed... Whirling around, I raced back to the school as fast as I could, leaving him standing there.

I was just about to enter the school gates when I felt a rise of youki to my left. I skidded to a stop and looked in the direction I felt it coming from. Trying to stay relaxed, I saw the familiar pair of red eyes staring out at me from the shadows. The red eyes disappeared for a split second only to reappear again as the youkai blinked.

'Stay away from me...' raced through my mind. I tried to move but found myself petrified to the spot I was now, not able to move my legs. I felt a familiar aura coming from the red eyes and I began to shiver. Naraku. Naraku was hiding in the shadows of the alley... he was right there... he knew where I was... The eyes suddenly vanished and I began to panic. I wasn't ready to fight him yet, where had he gone? I hand on my shoulder made me gasp and I slapped the hand away as I whipped around, reaching for a bow on my shoulder that wasn't there anymore. I was shocked to see Shigure staring at his hurt hand. Again.

"I think... we need to talk..." he said slowly and carefully. I glanced behind me to see the red eyes staring at me again. Looking back at Shigure I gave another nervous laugh while rubbing the back of my head.

"Can you wait for a bit...? I kind of have some business to take care of first..." 'And I'm going to die in the process of _taking care of_ it...'

"Uh... sure...?"

"Great! Thanks! I'll be back here in... about an hour at most, okay? okay!" Before he could argue I had run off into the dark alley to confront Naraku. I felt the darkness closing in around me and I tried to keep myself from trembling in fear.

"Where are you Naraku?!" I demanded, sounding a lot more confident than I actually felt. "Where are you?! Show yourself!" His familiar laughter echoed around me and I felt his atms wrap around my waist. I released my ki and was frustrated when he didn't let go.

"Your pitiful miko powers can't hurt me right now, Kagome... I've grown stronger since we last met, and I can withstand your purification abilities without much pain" he cooed as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. I grimaced in disgust and tried to push him away. Too bad I was so terrified that I was trembling like crazy. "Aww, is my dear miko scared...?" he chuckled and I felt anger rising within me.

"Who ever said that I was yours?" I snarled and released my miko ki again. This time he hissed as he yanked himself away from me. He let a small smirk grace his lips.

"How delightful" he mused. "A miko with tainted energy... you never seize to astound me."

"My energy is not tainted!" I snarled.

"Become angry, Kagome. Let your emotions reign control over your actions and powers."

"Shut up..."

"It will make my job just that much easier..."

"Shut up!"

"Afterall... his emotions was what made Inuyasha succumb to my influence so easilly..."

"SHUT UP!!" I screamed and I heard voices calling for me. Yuki... Tohru... Hana... hell, I even heard Kyo. Laughter surrounded me and I saw Naraku giving a vicous smile. The color drained from my face and I shook my head. "...no..."

"Run, miko. Leave these pathetic humans before I kill them just to see this wonderful expression of horror on your face again" he laughed as he began to fade. "I'm always going to know where you are, so you might as well leave the city and find somewhere where none of you precious humans will be hurt. Not like its going to do much good, but it just might lower the casualties. _Might_."

The darkness began to fade away and I began to panic. Yuki, Tohru... gone...? I couldn't imagine that... I had to leave again... I knew that I had stayed in this place for too long but I didn't want it to end. Not quite yet... I slapped myself mentally. What was I thinking? Naraku already knew who I was with. Leaving wouldn't change anything. After all of the darkness was gone, I turned around and was about to walk back out of the alley when there was a large fash of light. My eyes widened in surprise when I turned back into a fox.

-Sorry it took me so long, Kagome, erasing memories again!-

I groaned mentally at the thought and sat down.

'What memories did you erase, Midoriko...?'

-I erased Shigure's memories from when he saw you transforming and such a while back.-

'...great... so now I'm just a fox to them again? Two completely different things?'

-yeah!-

'...wonderful...'

-You aren't happy about it...?-

'Oh, I'm _ecstatic_...'

-...sorry...-

'About what?'

-I wasn't here when Naraku was here. If I had known, I would have come sooner. He didn't do anything, did he...?-

'...no... he didn't do anything... just gave me a warning...'

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE WITHOUT A LEASH?!?! DAMN FOX!"

'I know that voice!' I chirped mentally, looking at the man in front of me. I stared at him with my large, innocent eyes, hoping that something would happen. Something _not _painful...

"Don't look at me like that! I know that you're that stupid fox now get over here!" he demanded, lunging at me and I nimbly hopped out of the way.

'At least I can still have fun by annoying the crap out of this guy!' I mused and swiftly dodged another of his pathetic attempts to catch me. I yipped happily as he gave a frustrated growl and continued to dodge. 'Wheee!' I was suddenly grabbed by the back of my neck and I saw... 'Hey! You're that guy's partner! How've you been? Having fun catching _pests_ like me?'

His scowl was enough of an answer.

'Apparently not. Now if you don't mind, grabbing me by the back of my neck is actually kind of painful...' I thought to myself as I snarled and snapped at his hand. He yelped and dropped me to the ground. Yipping in excitement, I raced out of the alley and dashed between legs and under feet as the two behind me knocked people over to catch me. I felt something grab me and I scowled when I saw that I was in Kyo's hands. I flattened my ears against my head and bared my teeth, snarling. He just glared at me. I felt him hand me over to the pest control guys and they shoved me in a cage, then carried me to the back of their van and threw me inside. Seeing Kyo gazing at me with a look of triumph, I glared at him, giving him the deadliest look a fox could give as I pawed the bars of the cage and tried to reach him with my wonderfully sharp teeth.

'YOU ARE SO DEAD THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, KYO! YOU HEAR THAT?!?!?!?! YOU'RE _SCREWED_!!!!!!!'

----Kyo----

After the van carrying the fox drove away, I relaxed. For some reason, that fox really scared me. That look it gave me was definitely a glare, and those sharp teeth it was baring? Terrifying. Not to mention I swear I heard it saying that I was screwed the next time it saw me... I shook my head to clear my mind.

'Foxes can't talk, Kyo...' I reassured myself. 'Nothing is going to come back and haunt you, especially not a fox...' For some reason I wasn't comforted as muh as I'd hoped. Maybe it was the fact that I thought I saw something else behind those clear, blue orbs it had... Something that looked like sorrow.

To Be Continued...


	7. Problem 7

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 7

"Talking"

-Midoriko-

'Everyone else's thoughts'

----------Kyo-----------

Even before I reached the house I heard tohru making her daily rounds, looking for her fox. Yeah. That fox. The fox that I gave to the pest control workers. The one that they were going to kill within the next 48 hours. Sliding the door open, I got in and took my shoes off. I was still a little worried over what I had done... maybe I shouldn't have given the fox to those people...

"Natsu!!!!" Tohru called and I sighed, shutting the door behind me in hopes of drowning out some of the noise. "Natsu!!!!!! Where are you?!"

"You seem troubled, Kyon" Shigure mumbled from beside me and I glanced at him.

"I'm fine" I grumbled, stomping past him. I didn't want to deal with him right now. I really didn't want to deal with him right now... Entering my room, I plopped down onto my bed and sighed, looking at the ceiling. 'If I'm really this upset by giving the stupid fox to them, then maybe I should just get it back... No... I can't do that... The fox already hates me, if it saw me it would probably run even farther.'

Groaning, I flipped onto my side and stared out the window. What was wrong with me?

----Kagome----

Here I was... in a cage... in the back of a van... watching the glowing green numbers of the clock inside of the vehicle... Watching the minutes tick away... waiting for my death. I mean, what had I seriously done to piss Kyo off so much that he gave me to these people? Okay, so I scrathced his hand, made his life a living hell for what few moments I could... that shouldn't be enough to hand me over to the people that would be my demise... would it? Okay, maybe with Kyo its enough, but if it were me, I know that I would never send a fox to their death. Too cruel. Yep. Too cruel for me.

Giving a small whine, I saw one of the men look back at me, a sneer on his face.

"We're not going to give you a chance to escape. The moment we get to the building, we're gonna lock you up and shoot you" he chuckled. I felt the fur on the back of my neck bristling and a growl beginning to form as I bared my teeth.

'Stupid man... if I die, then I hope that you will be the first to fall under Naraku's tentacles. I hope he gives you a long, tortuous, painful death you stupid, evil, human.'

The car screeched to a stop and I yelped in surprise as the cage slid forward. I was slammed into the back of the drivers seat and I quickly scrambled to my feet, not knowing what was going on. Both men suddenly got out of the car so fast that I thought Godzilla was about to step on the van.

"Did we hit it?!" I heard the driver ask hysterically.

"I don't know! Where is it?!"

I saw something shifting in the drivers seat and I tried to move away to get a better look at what it was. I heard a whimper and panting and I relaxed. A dog? The large, black dog hopped beside me and began to toy with the cage, eventually unlocking it.

'Smart mutt...'

It whimpered again, climbing out of the car. I followed behind it and I watched as it hopped out of the car, racing down the street. It looked back at me, as if expecting me to follow. I was about to hop out of the car and go after it when the door one of the pest workers grabbed me from behind. I yipped in surprise and struggled to break free, slashing and clawing, but I couldn't reach the guy. Seeing the dog racing back, I also noticed the other pest control worker reaching for a metal pole in the back of the van. The mutt lunged and I was thrown into the cage, being locked back inside just as a loud crack was heard, followed by a high-pitched yelp and whimpering. The pole was then thrown in the back beside me and the driver got back in.

"Smart animals these days..." he grumbled, driving off again. "Faking getting hit by a car and unlocking the cage..."

Leaning against the bars of the cage, I looked out the back window to see the dog weakly sitting up and staring after the van. It the struggled to its feet and entered a nearby alley. Giving a small sigh, I sat lied down and rested my head on my paws as I flattene my ears against my head.

The man not driving leaned back in his seat and grinned at me.

"Did you have a _boyfriend_ you didn't tell us about, dear?" he teased but I ignored him and shut my eyes.

----Shigure----

Searing pain. That's all I felt as I struggled to my feet. Glancing at the van one last time, I made my way into a nearby alley where I hid my clothing. There was a puff of fog/smoke and I was turned back into a human. After I got my pants on I collapsed in a heap, groaning. Metal poles _hurt_. Gently touching my forehead, I winced at the throbbing that wracked my brain and I let out a small cry of pain.

Shutting my eyes, I leaned against the wall and waited for the throbbing to die down a little. It didn't fade that much, but it was a relief when it did, even if it were just a tiny amount.

I heard chuckling and I cracked my eye open. Perfect. A gang. Just what I needed right now... That's when a loud screeching was heard, and then a puff of smoke surrounded us, obscuring our vision. I gave a small cough and squinted in the direction the puff of smoke came from. A familiar girl dressed in all black appeared in front of me and knelt beside me.

"...I'll explain everything to you later, Shigure..." she whispered and all the pain disappeared. I then fell into a world of darkness.

-----Kagome-----

Feeling a little weird, I gave a small whimper when I realised what was happening.

'Midoriko...'

-Yes?-

'...demon...'

-...that's not good...-

'Can you get me out of this cage before I transform inside of it?'

-Yes, hold on...-

I noticed that the lock was moving on its own, slowly becoming undone. It clicked as it opened and I gave the most evil grin a fox could muster.

'Why didn't you do that earlier?' I demanded.

-It takes up a lot of energy, Kagome. I thought that I still hadn't recovered enough energy to use it.-

'I see...'

Gently nudging it open, I silently made my way over to the back door and noticed that there was a small crack at the bottom.

'The back door doesn't shut completely...'

Taking a few steps back, I then lunged at the door as hard as I could and was satisfied when I went tumbling out the van. Scrambling to my feet, I made a run for it towards the direction I felt the youkai. I heard the van screeching to a halt behind me and that fueled me. I skidded into an alley just as I transformed and I noticed Shigure.

'I knew it...'

Silently making my way over to him, I knelt beside him and I tried to heal his injury. When that didn't work, I momentarily got rid of his pain.

"...I'l explain everything to you later, Shigure..." I whispered and watched as his eyes slowly shut. Standing up, I turned around to see a gang of youkai around me.

"...miko..." the leader growled and I stood tall, showing that I wasn't afraid. He stepped back and turned around, leaving the alley. I sighed with relief when I realised that I didn't have to turn any of them to dust. Glancing at Shigure, I blushed when I noticed that he didn't have a shirt on. I squeaked and covered my eyes, looking away and at the wall, the sky, anything but him. I heard him shifting behind me and I tensed.

I tensed more when I felt him touch my shoulder.

"I believe you owe me an explanation, miss Higurashi..." he whispered in my ear and I squeaked as I spun around and slapped him.

"PERVERT!!!!!"

He held his cheek, giving a small laugh. He was _so_ much like Miroku that it scared me sometimes. Glancing at his forehead, I took a cautios step forward. When he didn't move I relaxed and walked over to a shirt that I noticed on the ground and picked it up. Turning to face him, I flung it at him and I faced the wall again.

"Get a shirt on before smeone accuses you of attempted rape..." I grumbled.

"Yes ma'am" he sighed and I heard the rustling of clothing as he put the dress shirt on. "I'm fully clothed now."

Turning around, I glanced as his forehead and walked over to him. I placed my hand over his forehead, letting it hover there, and I felt my miko ki flowing out of me and into his wound, quickening the healing process and reproduction of cells. His eyes were distant as I did so and when I was done, he gave me a look that showed that his mind was all over the place... filled with questions.

"Seems that your head is the only thing getting hurt lately, right Shigure?" I asked and he gave an embarrassed nod.

"Eh heh... you see, I was trying to help return a fox to Tohru... she's been looking for it for a long time and I forced the information out of Kyo..."

"I-" POOF. Whine... I saw Shigure looking at me, shocked, and I stared at the him with the same expression. 'He's so _tall_... oh wait... I shrunk... I shrunk! OMG I SHRUNK!!!! MIDORIKO!!!! DO SOMETHING! MAKE HIM FORGET! I DON'T CARE!'

-Oh, so now you _want_ me to erase his memories...-

'But- I- What- How- He- You-'

-Get a complete sentence running through your head first, Kagome...-

'But he saw EVERYTH-'

"...I had a hunch, you know..." Shigure unknowingly interrupted. I stopped my bickering with Midoriko and stopped glaring at the ground to look up at him. "Somehow... what you did just felt strangely familiar... except our surroundings were different." He glanced at me, looking me over, and sighed. "I'm assuming this means that I won't have my questions answered for a while..."

I nodded in response and he was about to pick me up, but had second thoughts and stepped away. When there were shouts he looked at me and grabbed me before running. I could see confusion on his face as his memories slowly began to return to him.

-I gave them back, Kagome. If he recalls something similar happening to him before, then there's nothing I can do to stop it. They would have forced themselves back into his mind eventually.-

---Shigure---

When I heard the men just around the corner, I picked Kagome up and sprinted in the opposite direction. I ran for who knows how long before slowing to a stop and looking behind me to find them gone. I collapsed onto a bench and didn't realise where I was until I sat down. The park...? I never came to the park. Ever.

Trying to calm myself down, I noticed that I still had hands... not paws... why hadn't I turned back into a dog? What the crap was going on? The mass amount of questions and confusion in my brain made my head spin and I shook it to clear my mind. I felt two tiny paws on my right thigh and I looked down to see Kagome looking up at me, confusion in her sapphire eyes. I groaned and covered my face with one of my hands.

'I can't believe this is happenening...'

"Natsu!!!" I heard Tohru exclaim as she ran over. "Thank you Shigure! where did you find her?"

"She kind of came to me, Tohru. I was kind of surprised, actually. I was just sitting here doing research when-" I felt Kyo punch the back of my head and I whimpered as I was cut off.

"I'm pretty sure that your research had _tons_ to do with it, Shigure..."

"Ooo, scary Kyon Kyon..." I teased and he glared at me. I saw that Kagome was snarling and snapping at him. Kyo stepped back when he noticed the furious actions of the black furball and I grinned. "Seems that poor little Kyon has a fear of little animals like little Natsu..." I poked and he glared at me.

"I do not!"

"If Kyo dies then we'll know who killed him, at least..." Yuki sighed and Kyo glared at him, too.

"Shut up, rat!"

"Just stating the facts. The fox should be able to defeat you with ease."

"How would you know?"

"The expression on your face when you saw it was priceless."

"Damn rat... I'll _kill_ you!"

"As if you could..."

I glanced at Kagome and saw amusement sparkling in her eyes as she cuddled into Tohru. For some reason, I felt a spark of an unknown feeling shoot through me, but it quickly faded when Kyo was knocked to the ground.

"See? Still weak" Yuki stated calmly.

"Why you..."

I sighed and saw Kagome give me a look that clearly said "This gets very repetitive..." I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it does get quite repetitive..." I sighed.

To Be Continued...


	8. Problem 8

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 8

"Talking"

-Midoriko-

'Everyone else's thoughts'

-------Kagome--------

I looked up in horror.

'They are _not_ going to do what I think they are... are they?'

I glanced at Shigure and saw him sitting at the table reading his newspaper. Gazing back up at Kyo and Tohru, I felt the fur at the back of my neck starting to raise. They were _not..._ They _can't_ do this to me!

Kyo lunged and I dodged, darting out of the room. If he thought that he could stick that thing on me then he was _sooooo_ wrong. I wasn't about to let him anywhere _near_ me any time soon.

Too bad Shigure just had to call me over with that little whitling of his. I flew into his lap and looked up at him expectantly. That's when I felt it around my neck. I snarled, trying to get away but they had already got the collar on me before I could. I glared at Shigure, standing on my hind legs and shoving my black, furry face millimeters from his, and he gave a nervous smile as he raised his hands in defense.

"Hey, I didn't want to have to look for you again!" he reasoned and I huffed as I hopped off of him, snarling at the jingling sound that followed me everywhere I went. It was ANNOYING!!!! Sitting down, I tried to scratch it off with my hind leg but that didn't work out too well. I hissed at the loud noises it made and glared at the floor, occasionally glancing at Shigure and Kyo with the coldest looks I could muster.

'They stuck a bell on me...' I growled at the thought. 'They stuck a bell on _me_! The person that's trying to save their sorry butts from Naraku!'

-They had a very good reason to, Kagome. Every time you turn into a fox you always attract trouble. Shigure recieved many dangerous injuries trying to protect you.-

'Oh, shut up...'

-Merely stating the facts-

Sighing, I lied down in the corner of the room, facing the wall. I was scared to move. The jingling of the bell with my enhanced hearing was painful, and I didn't dare make it jingle again. I heard the door sliding open but I ignored it and continued to stare at the wall. I felt large hands gently lfting me to my feet and spinning around. I saw Hatori in front of me and sat down.

"You do realise that I don't treat animals, right?" he asked and Shigure glanced at him.

"Well, you treat us and we turn into animals so it shouldn't be much different" Shigure replied and Hatori looked me over.

"I'm not a vet..."

"But she's been acting weird lately."

Hatori picked me up and brought me into another room, setting me down on a table and giving me a check-up. He flicked my right ear and it twitched on its own accord.

"...your ears do seem a little more droopy than usual" he commented and gently raised my tail. He let go and it dropped onto the table with a small 'thump'. "Not to mention you don't seem to have much energy..." He stepped closer to me and began to scratch my neck. I leaned into his touch and he gazed at my neck when the bell began to jingle. Poking the bell a few times he scratched under my chin.

"Is the bell causing you to act like this?" he asked and I sighed in content, the tip of my tail swishing back and forth. I felt his hand moving away and I cocked my head to the side. I felt the collar slipping off of my neck and he looked at it with a small scowl on his face. "They shouldn't be giving you a leather collar yet. You haven't even gotten used to a normal cloth one..." He held up the collar and I glared at it. Noticing my look he smiled. "So, it was the bell and collar. Perhaps we should give you a different one?"

I nodded and he began to look around the room, leaving the collar on the table beside me. I picked it up in my mouth and began to chew on it. I might have completely annihilated it if the bell hadn't begun to ring. Hatori turned around and looked at me, then gently began to pull the piece of leather out of my mouth. I made a few feeble attempts to bite it as he took it away from me. Taking the tag off, he threw the rest in the trash. I smirked in mind at the action.

Opening a drawer, he pulled out a piece of blue ribbon and looked at me.

"Would you like this more?" he questioned and I nodded. He slipped the tag and centered it, then tied it around my neck. It was surprisingly comfortable, much more comfortable than the leather strip from hell. I tried to see the ribbon but gave up when I found out that I couldn't. Haoti then picked me up again and brought me out of the room, placing me on the table in front of Kyo. Shigure had apparently left.

"Why does it have a ribbon now?" he growled and Hatori looked at him.

"The bell and leather collar was what caused her to go into a state of depression. I suggest you slowly get her accustomed to the feeling. Don't force the items of a domesticated animal like collars onto an animal that has been living freely its entire life."

"Why not?"

"Her reaction to it was a docile one. A much more wild animal would have torn up the house trying to get it off. Stick with the ribbon for now, then move to a cloth collar. Save the leather for last." Hatori then began to make his way out the door.

"Wait, what did you do with the-"

"It's in the trash" he interrupted, silently sliding the door shut behind him.

"Oh."

Kyo looked at me and I did the same. We ended up having a staring contest, which he lost.

"So..." he sighed, trying to think of something to do. I felt my tail swishing back and forth in amusement. He was trying to converse with an animal that couldn't talk back. Amazing. Reaching out, he began to pet me. "...sorry about the other day" he mumbled. I stiffened and my fur bristled at the thought. I let out an involuntary growl and his hand snapped back.

"Okay... touchy subject..."

'_Very_' I silently agreed.

"...I wonder what happened to Kagome..." he mumbled.

'I'm right here...'

"Shigure said she left, like how I did when I went to go train in the mountains, but I don't believe that..."

'I'm right. Here.'

He sighed and got up, deciding that his conversation with a fox had gone long enough, and left me in the room alone. Not knowing what to do, I hopped off the table and lied down in a sunny area stretching myself out. I shut my eyes and before I knew it, I was asleep with, basking in the warmth of the midday sun.

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in the house, laying down in the same position I was in before. But something was wrong. It was quiet. Too quiet. Maybe the others were still at school? No, it was dark out so they had to be home... Getting to my feet, I saw that I had human limbs. I looked around as I made my way down the corridor and heard a shuffling noise. As I neared the noise, I began to notice red smears on the walls. My heart skipped a beat.

The blood was smeared all over and I felt my eyes widening in fear at the sight. I got closer and closer to the room, the shuffling getting louder, when I heard a familiar laugh echoing across the halls.

"Good evening, Kagome..." Naraku chuckled as I finally stood in the doorway. His crimson eyes looked at me, tearing into my mind, and I whimpered. He smiled savagely at my reaction and held something up in his left hand. It was a head. I couldn't see the face, though. I didn't want to see the face.

"Look around you, Kagome, you're surrounded by death..." he mused and I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. This couldn't be happening. I refused to look around me. I wouldn't open my eyes. I refused to. A drop of blood splattered on my cheek and I cracked my eye open. The sight I saw made me scream.

"Kagome!" Shigure shouted and my eyes snapped open. I was still in my fox form. It was still light out... everyone was still here, talking and laughing, except Shigure who looked at me worriedly. I whimpered and curled into a ball, hiding myself behind my tail. I felt Shigure picking me up and I squirmed. He quickly let go and I burst out of the house in a frenzy. I couldn't breathe... I needed air. I needed to go outside.

I made it out without any trouble and sat down in the middle of the yard, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to forget. The images formed clearer in my mind and I forced my eyes open again. I was terrified. Perhaps I was letting them get too close to me...?

Someone began to pet my head and I turned to see Shigure, sitting beside me. He gave a light laugh.

"Maybe I'm letting myself get too attached..." he chuckled, playing with the bow now. "I don't even know when you're going to turn human again..."

Looking up at him, I noticed an emotion in his eyes that I recognized all too well. It was the small spark in my eyes that I had when I saw Inuyasha back when the others were still with me. That scared me even more.

"But I can't help but worry..." he finished, Looking at me now instead of the sky he was gazing at before.

"Shigure! Did you catch the damn fox?!" Kyo shouted from the house.

"Yes, Kyon Kyon!" Shigure hollered in response, lifting me up and carrying me into the home. I saw Hatori giving Shigure a strange look as we walked past the door and knew that he had overheard what he had said. He glanced at me, the expression on his face that of confusion and mild curiosity.

"We need to talk, Shigure. Now" he stated and Shigure looked at him. He seemed to understand Hatori's facial expressions and actions well, because he suddenly turned serious and nodded in response. Setting me down inside the house, he walked back outside and sat on the porch beside Hatori. I trotted back out and they both noticed me.

"Go back inside" Shigure commanded and I began to when Hatori informed that it was okay if I stayed.

"You'll have to tell her eventu-"

I felt that familiar tugging and I raced off in the direction of the woods. They both stood up and ran after me as fast as the could. I glanced behind me and saw that they were keeping up.

'Determined little-'

-Turn right-

I obeyed and swerved right, making them falter as they tried to do the same. I kept running as a burst of light surrounded me and I felt myself changing. My hair grew longer along with my entire body in general. I felt my body shifting, the paws turning into clawed hands, then human ones, my face shortening and losing the black fur. But for some reason the transformation didn't complete and I found myself running with black fox ears and a large, black bushy tail.

'What's going on Midoriko?!'

-Hold on, I'm trying to call back the rest of the miko ki but its not coming back! Give me a few moments!-

I heard panting behind me and swore under my breath when I saw both Hatori and Shigure behind me. Why did they have to be so in shape? Why couldn't they be overweight or something?

I went from a run to a full-out sprint and followed Midoriko's directions.

-Stop!-

I skidded to a halt right beside a large tree and looked around.

'I don't see anything...'

That was quickly proved wrong when a pair of red eyes with blue pupils blinked at me from the bushes. I recognized them... I knew them all too well. The aura I sensed was also familiar, and was the exact same aura as a certain inu hanyou that I knew. The figure stood up, his silver hair catching the wind and blowing behind him as mine fought to fly into my face. He still wore the robe of the firerat, and didn't seem to have been ruined in any way. His dog ears still sat atop his head, and his clawed hands still held the larger form of Tetsusaiga. I stared at him, trying to not let my emotions take me over this time.

"...Inuyasha..." I whispered. He took that as a cue and lunged, swinging around the gigantic sword.

I dodged. He sliced. I dodged again. It continued for who knows how long before the situation began to get boring. Glaring in annoyance, I decided that I would use my miko ki powers against him just this once. Unleashing them, I saw him hissing in pain, and he hopped back into the safety of the trees.

That's when I noticed that the Shigure and Hatori had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines. Again. I felt their aura, and another familiar aura on the oposite side of them. Kyo. Kyo had sensed the disruption in the woods and had come to see what it was.

After calming down a bit, I turned and began to run away from all three. I felt Kyo chasing after me, his urge to quench his curiosity fueling him. I had to get away. I had to get out of his range of _sight_ at least.

To Be Continued...


	9. Problem 9

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 9

"Talking"

-Midoriko-

'Everyone else's thoughts'

-------Kagome--------

God, Kyo was _stubborn_! He was still following me!!!!! and the worse thing was that he was _catching up_. Annoying little...

'Dangit, _do something, Midoriko!!!_'

-I can't!-

'Then turn me back into a fox!'

-He'll see the transformation!-

'I DON'T CARE! I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HIM!'

I felt him grab my arm and he gently tugged, making me stop. I spun around and punched him, which he dodged, and then kicked him. He flew backwards and I gave him a worried glance before running off again.

'I hope he didn't get too hurt from that...'

There was a bright flash of light and I turned back into a fox. Turning around, I ran back to the house and waited patiently for the others to return. Lying down, I sighed and shut my eyes. Why was everything going wrong these days? No one was supposed to see my other form, and no onw was-

"Natsu!!!" Kyo snarled and I opened an eye and looked at him. I flicked my tail to show that I was listening. "Don't give me that you stupid fox! Stop running away, dammit!"

'Oh... this lecture again...' I drawled and shut my eyes again, completely ignoring him.

"Hey! are you listening to me? Natsu! Hey! Stop ignoring me! Why are you just lying there?!?! Open your eyes and look at me so I know that you-"

"Yelling at the fox again, Kyo?" Yuki mused as he walked past and Kyo decided to vent his anger out on something that would actually retaliate, which was Yuki, and not me.

"Hell yes I'm yelling at the fox again! It keeps running away!"

"But it comes back..."

"That's not the point!"

"If it comes back then it's fine. If it doesn't come back that means that it's moved on. It's a wild animal, Kyo. We can't tame it."

"Shigure seems to have proved you wrong there!" Kyo snarled and Yuki thought for a while before nodding.

"Yes, I suppose he has" he finally stated, ignoring the rest of Kyo's rant and walking away. I glanced at him before getting up and yawning. There was the familiar sound of Shigure's footsteps coming from the porch and I thought it would be better to welcome him back instead of getting yelled at by Kyo. Trotting over to Shigure, I sat down by his feet and blinked, looking into his eyes.

"Why is it that you're always causing me trouble?" he grumbled and I glared. My ear twitched when I heard Hatori shifting behind him and I looked over at him.

"I should go back to the main house and take care of Akito" Hatori sighed and Shigure nodded, seeing him off before looking at me again. He squatted beside me and jabbed my forehead with his pointer finger, a scowl clearly on his face.

"Annoying. That's what you are at times. Very, very annoying."

"NATSU! GET BACK HERE!" Kyo shouted and I darted behind Shigure, peeking out from behind him to see a fuming carrothead glaring at me. "stupid fox! Don't give me that look! You're not that innocent!"

'Ahhhhh, but I am. You've just never seen that side of me before.'

"Get over here!" he growled, reaching for me and I dodged, landing on Shigure's head. I yipped in excitement, liking the fact that he couldn't catch me. Shigure's strong hands ended my fun, though. I felt them wrapping around me and I lifting me off of him. Looking at him innocently, I saw him sigh and hold me out at arms length as he stood.

"You can get quite troublesome at times. More so than Kyo, surprisingly..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means that you, Kyo, are an idiot" Yuki commented as he walked past the porch, glass of water in hand. This caught Kyo's attention and he went storming after the lavander-eyed teen. Shigure sighed again and looked at me, a weird look in his eyes. I ignored it and looked past him to see the setting sun. The bright light began to hurt and I squinted, waiting for my pupils to adjust. Glancing at Shigure, I saw that he had turned his head to look at the sunset too. An idea suddenly clicked into his head and he set me down, running off into his study and shutting the door. I stared at the closed door and cocked my head to the side. What random idea popped into his head now...?

Shrugging it off, I lied down facing the sun and watched it set, the hues of the sky changing from orange to red, then to pink, then violet, and finally a dark blue. It was beautiful to see the setting sun and the rising of the moon and stars. A ringing phone ruined that, though, and I looked back to see Tohru picking it up and speaking into it. Soon, she gently set it down on a table and went to look for someone, coming back with Shigure soon after. He picked up the phone and I saw him grow serious, saying "I'll be right over" before a 'click' was heard and he hurried over to the front door. I stretched, feeling that something was wrong, and followed him out the door when no one was looking.

Sniffing the air for his scent, I quickly found it and raced after him. He seemed alarmed, or worried, or _something_ like that. Finally seeing him, I slowed down and followed him at a distance. He reached a large estate and walked inside. I raced in before the door slid shut, earning a loud scream of surprise. I looked up to see a woman there, looking down at me in horror. Shigure noticed and glanced at me, scowling.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded and I looked up at him innocently, swishing my tail back and forth. Groaning, he shook his head and picked up. "You're already here anyways, so might as well come along..." he sighed, motioning for me to follow. I did, and he led me into a bedroom.

"You'll have to stay here for now while I go inform Akito-san of my arrival. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He walked of the room and I felt a chill run down my spine. Someone was watching me... no, some_thing_ was watching me... I had to be careful here, or who know what might happen.

Just like he said, Shigure was back within a few minutes time, but this time he looked even more distressed. He ploppe down onto the bed and I hopped onto his lap, sitting down and looking at him. He began to pet me, deep in thought, and I curled up right there and slept.

----Shigure----

After my visit with Akito, I knew that something really was wrong. He seemed a little more... _tense_ than usual, a little _darker_. Sitting down on my bed and petting Natsu, I began to relax. She let off a very comforting and calming aura... before I knew what was going on, my fried nerves were perfectly normal, nothing really bothering me and nothing making me nervous. I looked down at her and saw her staring at me from her position in my lap. Feeling tired, I set her down and saw her walking over to a corner of the room, lying down and curling into a tight little ball as she fell asleep while I climbed into bed and pulled up the covers.

I was about to fall asleep when there was a mass amount of whimpering coming from Natsu's corner of the room. Groggily opening my eyes, I saw her fidgeting and twitching. Nightmare...? Then, there was a blinding flash of light.

------Kagome------

I was running as fast as I could. It was dark... so dark... and I ran into so many branches, but I didn't care. All I care about right now was surviving, getting away and _living_. Everyone was depending on me. Everyone needed me in order to continue on with their lives. Everyone was depending on _me_ to destroy Naraku. I couldn't die here, completely unprepared and running from instinct because my mind had lost all thought.

His laughter was following me, it was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I had to get away! And that's when he appeared, clad in his baboon pelt, torturing me even without saying a single word or moving a single millimeter. He was slowly killing me just by that look in his eyes, the look that made me believe that Inuyasha was under his control because of me.

"No! It's not my fault...!" I whispered, stepping back and spinning around, but there he was again. Turning to run again, he was also there around me. More and more began to appear, surrounding me in a loose circle. All staring at m with that accusing gaze...

"It's not my fault!!!" I screamed and they all began to laugh, the sadistic sound hanging in the air for what seemed like forever, filling my ears and making me want to puke. I couldn't take it. Releasing my ki, I watched them all turning into ash, only to have more appear around me. No matter how much ki I used, they kept regenerating, kept coming as if there were an unlimited supply.

When I had used up just about all of my energy, I saw the next group taking off their baboon pelts, bathing my eyes in the sight of him everywhere I looked. I shut my eyes and more appeared at the back of my eyelids. How was he doing this? How could he be doing this to me? Shaking my head, I continued to deny that it was my fault, but felt my resolve breaking. His verbal attacks and laughter made everything that I had ever used to counter them seem like feeble excuses, and I slowly began to snap.

"It's not my fault..." I whispered and he chuckled, looking at me with amusement behind his dark bangs.

"You know it is, Kagome... stop denying it. It's _your_ fault that Inuyasha fell so easilly, no one else's but yours and yours alone"

"It's not my fault, Naraku!"

"Yes it is, and you know it."

"It's not my fault! Stop blaming me! I didn't do anything to make Inuyasha turn against me! You were the one that put him under that spell, I had nothing to do with it!"

"It was because of you that he fell under its influence so easilly. If it weren't for you then he would still be his normal, hanyou self" Naraku cooed, stepping closer to me. All of them vanished except for one and I felt his arm wrap around my waist. "It's your fault, Kagome... it's all your fault... you're the one to blame..."

"No..." I whispered, shutting my eyes. "No... it's not..."

He pulled me closer and I let him. What was he doing to me...? Had he cast some sort of spell on _me, _too? He was so comfortable for some reason... so _warm_... Tears rolled down my cheeks and his grip on me tightened.

"Join me, Kagome. Join me and we can creat a world of our own, where nothing will go wrong... together we can make a new world of true freedom, no laws binding us, nothing to hold us back..." he purred in my ear and a shiver ran down my spine.

"...no..." I panted.

"...no one to place the blame on you... you will be free from this torture... if you help me then everything will be perfect... no one will dare blame you for anything..."

"...no...!" My head hurt... it hurt so much... it was throbbing, and it felt like my head was about to explode. The pain brought me back to my normal train of thought, though, and I snapped my eyes open. "I will never join you, Naraku!" I snarled, struggling.

"Then you will take all of the blame!" he hissed, holding me tighter.

"It's not my fault and it never will be!"

"You're the only one that holds the guilt! You're the only that is being blamed! You know inside that it is your fault so stop denying it!"

"It's not!!!" I screamed, but deep inside, I felt my heart beginning to disagree with me. It believed _him. _It was believing that pitiful excuse for a creature _Naraku_. My chest filled with despair and I couldn't breathe. It was suffocating... Tears streamed down my cheeks as I muttered "It's not my fault" over and over again. Naraku smirked, pleased witht he work that he had done, and left me there alone.

I was suddenly being roughly shaken and I woke from the dream, my blurry vision recognizing the person in front of me as Shigure. I heard the rustling of my clothing and I knew that I had turned human. The tears continued to flow nonstop, and I couldn't stop them. Shigure held a very confused look on his face and he looked lost. He didn't know what to do.

"Don't cry, Kagome... it's alright..." he murmured and I nodded, trying to believe him, but inside, my heart was telling me that everything was wrong, that nothing was right at all, that I _should_ be crying... I was suddenly engulfed in warmth and I could smell Shigure's scent... I was buried in it, in fact. He awkwardly hugged me, tensing for a few seconds before relaxing and hugging me tighter. The feeling of the the black magic that I felt on him was fading, it was weaker than the other day, and so I found myself being calmed by his touch. After a few more minutes in that position, he slowly let go and bumped his forehead against mine.

"Feeling better?" he asked, acting as if nothing had ever happened, and I gave a weak laugh before nodding.

"Hai..."

"I've always wanted to do that..." he mumbled and I looked at him, confused. "You know what the curse does... I know you do... every time I embrace someone of the opposite gender I-"

"-turn into a dog..." I finished and he smirked.

"Exactly."

Smiling a little now, I looked at my hands that were folded neatly in my lap. There was suddenly a pressure on my lips and my eyes widened. What the hell was he doing...? Getting over the initial shock, I shut my eyes and returned the kiss. When he pulled away a few seconds later he hugged me closer and I felt... odd...

"Isn't this illegal...?" I asked, "I'm not exactly 18 yet... and you must be about 25 at least..."

"27" he answered.

"This _must_ be illegal..."

"Does it really matter?" he questioned, resting his chin on my forehead. "To be honest, I've always wondered what this felt like..."

"What...? Because of the curse?"

"Because of the books I write" he chuckled in response and I gave an awkward smile.

"I see..."

"Ahhh, don't feel bad..." he sighed, his hand roaming lower... and lower... and-

"PERVERT!!!!!" I screamed, smacking his head and hopping away from him, fuming because of both him and that stupid innocent expression on his face... damn him... acting like that stupid houshi... "First its perverted _monks_ and now its perverted _authors_... when will it end?" I grumbled, and he sat there, staring up at me in admiration. "What are you looking at?" I snapped and he gave a nervous laugh.

"Nothing! Nothing!"

"Pervert..." I growled again and turned away from him, plopping to the ground. I felt him behind me and heard the rustling of his clothing as he gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I leaned back and looked up at him.

"...finished hating me?" he questioned and I raised my hand, then patted his cheek three times.

"There. I'm done with my hating now."

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Do you want me to _make_ it hurt?"

"No."

"Then don't complain."

He nodded and I shut my eyes, falling back against him. He was warm... and made me feel like I did in my dream when Naraku held me. I involuntarily shivered at the thought, but it finally clicked. Naraku hadn't attempted to cast any spell on me... no... It was Shigure trying to comfort me in the middle of my nightmare. I smiled at the newly discovered thought and fell asleep, this time it was dreamless.

To Be Continued...

Dun Dun Dunnn... sry, had a sudden urge to say that, lol. Anyways, you should've figured out what pairing this is by now, if not... then I feel as if my job hasn't been done well, but I seriously hope you know what pairing this is by now. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and I R&R! The next chapter of this wonderful Fruits Basket/Inuyasha crossover will be out in the next few days!!! (Psh, 'wonderful', lol, I think I'm getting a little to excited about this... lol...)

BYE PEEPS!!!!


	10. Problem 10

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 10

----Kagome----

I woke up to the feeling of a youkai nearby and I slowly wriggled out of Shigure's grasp. I couldn't endanger him while on duty. It just seemed to lower my self-esteem every time that I did... like that one time Kyo got hurt... and those many times that Shigure got injured, although that wasn't in the line of duty so it made me feel a _little_ bit better.

"Kagome..." Shigure yawned and I looked at him. Covering his forehead with my hand, I muttered a quick spell and his eyes shut once again.

"This isn't anything that you should be involved in... you've already gotten too attached..." I whispered and stood. Walking out of the door, I followed my miko senses down the hall, turning here and there every so often. Walking out of the home and into a courtyard, I saw a dark silhouette in the light of the half moon and took a timid step towards it. It stayed still, staring at the sky with its long hair blowing behind it, and I took a deep breath as it turned its head.

Crimson eyes met my gaze.

Biting back a scream, I forced myself to stay relaxed at the sight of him.

"What do you want with me...?" I asked softly and the distance between us suddenly vanished as he appeared a mere foot away from me. Refusing to show my fear, I stayed where I was and looked him in the eye, forcing myself to stay calm.

"Only to finish what I had started in the dream" he stated, a slight hint of humor in his voice.

"Like I thought..." I murmured and he was suddenly behind me. "And what was it, exactly, that you planned to finish...?"

My gasp of surprise filled the air as I was yanked into him, and I felt his hair draping over my shoulders, his breath on my neck. I tried to hold back the urge to scream again. His youki was driving my miko ki insane.

"I plan to finish breaking you, my dear..." he mused, burying his face in my neck. His hand reached up and gently held my chin, moving my head to the side to reveal my neck even more.

"By what? Sucking the blood out of me? I didn't know you were a vampire" I spat, trying to yank my head away but he held it firmly in place. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt his lips trailing up my neck. This was so wrong... I knew that it was wrong and yet I couldn't do anything to hurt him, I couldn't make myself do anything to him.

-Kagome! Do something!-

'I can't move...'

"My, my, miko, awfully tense today, aren't you?" Naraku chuckled and I growled lowly at him.

"Get away from me you pathetic excuse for a demon" I snarled and his grip tightened to a painful state. I winced and he laughed, relishing in my pain.

"Oops. Did that hurt?" he teased and I glared at him. I wanted him to stop! My mind wanted him to stop but my virgin body was giving in to his actions as his hand slid lower. My body _wanted_ him. My eyes widened in horror at the thought.

"It seems you've finally realised what I plan to do..."

"Don't touch me you sick freak!!!" I hissed, desperately trying to break through his spell.

"It seems you've gained quite the willpower lately. I can feel you trying to break through my spell."

"I said 'Don't touch me!'" I shouted, not caring if anyone heard anymore. Shigure wouldn't wake up, I had made sure of that.

"Its no use, you can't break through it. Its a very strong spell that I had learned over the years. Haven't you ever wondered why there are so few mikos these days, Kagome...?"

It was true, I couldn't break whatever spell he had cast and my mind was getting tired. The control I had used to hold back my fear finally snapped and I began to tremble, tears rolling down my cheeks as I panted. My heart was practically beating out of my chest as I felt a wet object slide against my cheek. My heart skipped a beat before pounding even harder, and I let out a whimper.

'Oh god no... this can't be happening...!'

"Your fear suits your smell perfectly..." he purred, holding me closer.

"...no...!" I whined and he covered my mouth with his hand.

"Relax, miko... I won't hurt you... much..."

'NOOO!!!!'

I felt him pin me to the ground and I stared into his ruby eyes in horror. Before I could scream I felt his lips crashing onto mine. I grimaced and tried to move my head away but his hand continued to keep it firmly in place. Feeling the spell wear off, I unleashed my miko ki and found that it did no good, just like in the beginning at the alley. I squirmed under his grasp, kicking and flailing my arms but he didn't seem to care. The miko ki also ran on a rampage, along with my emotions, and a distant scream tore through the air. I felt his strong hands making their way inside of my fighting kimono and I screamed into his mouth. His claws suddenly dug into my skin and I cried out. He suddenly stopped and slowly sat up as he looked to his left. Following his gaze, I saw a shocked man with light brown hair staring at us in surprise.

"Leave us, human" Naraku snarled and the man glanced at me. I hid the pleading look in my eyes and gave him a comforting one, showing that everything would be alright. I didn't want him to get involved. Shigure alone was more than enough to keep out of trouble as it was. The man took a step back and turned around, hurrying off. A sigh of relief escaped my lips before the fear coursed through my veins again as Naraku continued. He didn't go any further, waiting me to tire from the thrashing before going much further.

"Stop..." I panted, voice shaking, after using up all of my strength. Many deep scratches and cuts were on my body now because of Naraku's sadistic pleasure. If they weren't there I would have lasted much longer, but I was losing my blood. "Please... stop..."

"Why? I've got you in a corner..." he chuckled and cupped my cheek in his hand. His clothing was messy because of my struggles, and there wasn't even a bead of sweat on him. Whimpering, I felt his hand slide down my waist. I was too tired to do anything. I was helpless. Naraku froze again and I noticed Shigure standing a few feet away, the man from before behind him.

"Kagome..." Shigure whispered and I gulped before continuing to pant, squinting my eyes in pain.

"...run...!" I hissed and he shook his head, still in a slight moment of shock.

"I'm not leaving you here alone..." he replied and Naraku gave an amused laugh.

"Has the poor little girl finally found someone to care for?" he taunted and I gave a weak glare.

"Keep him out of this!"

"So you do care for him..." Naraku chuckled and I glanced at Shigure before looking back at him. Using the last of my energy, I shot him off of me with as much miko ki as I could. He hissed and hit the wall, disappearing on impact.

"A copy..." I whispered and grunted as I sat up. Shigure ran over to me and looked me over.

"He didn't do anything, did he?" Shigure asked worriedly and I smiled, shaking my head.

"He didn't get much farther than groping" I mumbled tiredly and he helped me to my feet. I collapsed soon after.

---Shigure---

Looking back at Kureno, I saw him looking at Kagome in worry.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know. Go get Hatori. He'll be able to help her."

He gave a stiff nod before walking off in search of the doctor. Gazing down at Kagome, I touched her cut cheek and gently wiped the blood off of it. Her skin, I just found out, was amazingly soft and smooth. Noticing a darkened piece of skin on her left collarbone, I brushed it with my fingers and traced it until my fingers brushed the collar of her ruined kimono. Slowly, hesitantly, I picked her up and held her again. Why was the curse not affecting me...?

"Shigure! It's Akito!" Kureno panted as he came back.

"Where's Hatori?"

"He's taking care of Akito! He's changed so much! He seems happy and... kind...!"

This caught my attention and I looked at him in confusion. Akito... kind...? I had to see this. Picking kagome up, mush to my, and Kureno's surprise, I made my way over to Akito's room. As I stepped inside, I saw Hatori leaning over him, giving him a check-up.

"...he seems normal enough..." he mumbled and looked at me.

"Hatori... do you think.. that just maybe... I mean, I can hold Kagome, and Akito seems to have changed so much..."

"Maybe..."

"Why don't you try?" I asked, motioning with my head to show that I meant 'try holding Kagome'. Hatori hesitated before coming over and timidly taking her into his arms. When nothing happened, a small, genuine smile formed on his lips.

"The curse..." he whispered.

"But what happened...? What made it go away...?"

Hatori set Kagome down and looked at her, thanks in his eyes.

"She did it... but how...?"

I didn't know that she was listening until I saw her smile.

"How did you do it, kagome?" I asked and she opened her eyes.

"Secret" she laughed and I scowled. If I had payed closer attention, and put all the clues together, I would have known that her miko powers had purified the demon in Akito, which had been passed down in through his bloodline for the past who knows how long. I would have known that the demon had been the one controlling the curse, and Akito's body. I would ahve known that demon had placed so much stress on Akito that his body began failing him from the effort. I would have seen that what she did was all an accident.

To Be Continued...

WWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'nother chapter done!!!!!! lol! R&R PEEPS!


	11. Problem 11

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Chapter 11

-----Hatori-----

"How's she doing?" Shigure asked and I stood up.

"She just needs to rest is all and she'll be perfectly fine."

"That's good to know."

"...Do you want to step out for a second? I'll call you back in once I'm done."

"What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm not you, Shigure, you can trust me with her."

"What are you implying?!"

"Just get out."

"Fine, fine..." he sighed and sulked as he walked out, gently sliding the door shut behind him. I glanced at Kagome. "He's gone..." I mumbled softly and she slowly opened her eyes, sitting up as she did so.

"Thanks Hatori."

"Why do you not want him to know that you're awake?"

"I've got places to go to and many things that I need to take care of. Shigure will only pose as a nuisance and nothing else. If he follows or stays with me, then he'll get hurt more than he needs to and already has. If I heal him much more than he'll get a few side-effects that would probably be best if they didn't happen."

"Such as?"

"I'm not sure if he can handle my energy... If he can't, then he'll probably die and I don't want to risk that."

"I see."

"Can you help me get out of here?"

"Probably, but I can't guarantee that you'll make it out without capturing Shigure's attention. Knowing him, he's probably eavesdropping on our conversation right about now anyways.

"I am not!" said person's muffled voice hollered and I groaned. There went that decision of escape...

I sighed. "Come in, Shigure..."

He slid the door open and poked his head in, a goofy grin on his face. "Heh heh... sorry, couldn't help it... But... are you really thinking about leaving, Kagome?"

"Hai. I am."

"...oh..."

I sighed at his answer and slowly shut my eyes. Naraku appeared in my mind and a minute scowl appeared on my face.

'You will die, Naraku...'

The sound of a door sliding shut brought me out of my thoughts and I opened my eyes to see Shigure now leaning against a wall, staring at me. Hatori had left the room. I returned his gaze with my sapphire orbs and he looked away. I stood up and hid the pain from the stretching of my cuts as I walked over to the door.

"Where will you go if you leave us?" Shigure wondered out loud and I turned to look at him. His dark gray, almost black eyes were aimed at the floor. When I didn't answer they eventually rose and met mine.

"...I don't know..." I finally replied and walked out of the door and shutting it behind me, leaving him in the room alone. I walked past Hatori, stopping for a small bow before turning and making my way out of the estate. As I was about to walk out I saw the man that I saw the night before, with blonde/brown hair, standing in front of the door waiting for me. What was his name? Kureno, that was it.

"So you really do plan on leaving him, huh?" he asked and I smiled as I stopped and looked at him.

"Hai" I responded but I quickly learned that his actions the night before were not something he would usually do. His emotionless mask made Sesshoumaru's face pop in my mind and I shoved it out. Annoying Taiyoukai...

"Will you be coming back?"

"Possibly. It will most likely take a while, though."

"I see. I'll make sure to tell that to Shigure."

"Did he send you?"

"Iie. I'm curious as well. Not many women come in and purify everything in the estate."

"How did you know?"

"I'm not as thick headed and dull-minded as Shigure. It wasn't hard to figure out."

"I noticed."

"If you're planning on going out of town, the fastest way would to follow that path over there" he informed, pointing down a dirt path that lead into the nearby trees. "It'll keep you hidden, as well."

I gave him a weird look. "And how would you know...?"

"I've used it many, many times, miko."

I gave a small laugh and nodded, following the path that he pointed out. I saw a small smile on his face as I turned around out of the corner of my eye. 'Maybe he isn't as cold-hearted as Sesshoumaru after all...'

-----Meanwhile-----

"Shut up, rat!"

"You know its the truth, Kyo, stop denying it. You like her, don't you?"

"I do not!"

"Sure... oh, hi Tohru!"

"Good morning Yu-eeeek!!"

CRASH

"GOMEN NASAI!!!" Tohru screamed as she spun around and hid her face in the wall by the stairs. But something was different. No 'poof', not sounds of animal paws tugging their clothes away... a hand on her shoulder?

"...Tohru..." Yuki mumbled softly and she slowly turned her head. Her eyes first fell on Kyo who stood at the side as he stared in shock at Yuki. He hadn't been fallen on, so it would only be reasonable that he wouldn't turn into a cat, but...

"...Yuki...?" she whimpered as she met lavender eyes with her brown ones and he smiled.

"...its gone..." he whispered and Tohru felt tears entering her eyes. They were happy tears, though, not sad ones... excited, joyous and relieved.

----Kagome----

'Midoriko...'

-Yes?-

'...train me'

-You've already been learning at an amazingly fast rate, Kagome.-

'I need to kill him.'

-You're powers don't affect him, Kagome-

'They affected him twice.'

-But during those times, you were driven by hatred and fear.-

'...I still have to try...'

-Very well... lets start with meditating...-

-----Shigure-----

"So she really did leave?" I asked and a small smile appeared on Kureno's face before he gave a curt nod. I sighed and dropped my head. I had never felt this way before... never... An idea for a new novel popped in my head and I tried to hold back the urge to suddenly jump for joy. Plus, I was actually _excited_ about writing! That fact alone would make everyone think that I had finally lost it. Kureno noticed the small twinkle in my eye, though, and his smile turned into a smirk.

"Come up with a new idea, Shigure?"

"Yes."

"Is it actually worth reading this time?"

I pouted. "What do you mean? Aren't they all worth reading?"

"No."

I whimpered, dropping my head. "I think its worth reading..." I grumbled and he sighed before walking out the door and shutting it behind him. "Fine... ignore me..." I mumbled, my pout turning into a sad smile "...just like Kagome..."

I wrote on the floor with my finger, and although it didn't make any marks, her name was written clearly in my imagination, the messy lines in the dirt as clear as day.

"KA-GO-ME" I sighed, writing the letters over and over again with my finger. "You better come back... or else I might just have to hunt you down and drag you back here myself..."

The door slid open and I looked up to see Hatori. "Wow" he stated, "She really did affect you quite a bit. Kureno got worried so he called me over to check you for any signs of sickness."

"I'm not sick!" I whined, cowering below him. I remembered the last time he gave me a shot and a shiver ran down my spine. "I'm not sick, Hatori!" I repeated as he stepped closer. I gulped, covering my head with my arms.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"No! Nothing hurts! I'm not sick! I'm innocent! I-!"

"Losing someone you love."

My eyes widened and I slowly lowered my arms from their position above my head. Hatori was holding a needle in his hand and I whimpered, but that's when I noticed something. There was nothing in it...? He smiled and pointed at my arm. Glancing down at it, I saw a tiny drop of blood as he handed me a band-aid. I didn't feel anything... I sniffed, happiness filling my entire being. I lunged, trying to tackle Hatori in a hug, but my face met the door instead.

"Itai...!" I whimpered as I slid to the ground. There was suddenly throbbing in my arm and I whimpered louder. "It hurts!!!!" I whined and I could just picture the evil, madman-like smirk on his face... if he did smirk like an evil madman, that is... I pouted as I rubbed the throbbing appendage and gave a lop-sided smile. Hatori knew what it felt like, but his pain must have been much worse... he was forced to make _her_ leave by himself, taking her memories away as well. She would never return to him... But for me... Kagome was still going to come back. I wasn't going to be left alone... I was sure of it.

To Be Continued...

-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to update!!! I've been busy and it just slipped my mind! I know, gasp how could I forget about fanfiction?!?!?! sniff I'm really, really, really, really, really, sorry!!!!! (PS- thx, Kurama'sFoxyMiko, for the songs and lyrics! I'll try to put them in whenever I can!)


	12. Problem 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing!!!

I'm sooo sorry it took so long to update! I had all of these ideas and then I forgot them when I started updating the other stories and I was like NNOOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!! But I'm okay now!!!! Hopefully the updates will be a little faster!!

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Chapter 12

firefox369

-----Kagome (One Month Later)-----

I walked down the familiar city streets and stopped in front of a familiar estate. It was cold out, the harsh winter wind making my fur fly in all different directions. It had been a long time since I last walked this route, and it had been a month since I last saw Tohru and the Sohmas. I found myself missing them sometimes, but was usually too busy to think about them for very long.

-We should leave soon. Our 'friends' will catch up to us if we don't.-

I continued to make my way down the street when a siren caught my ears. Glancing behind me, I saw the pest control workers. I sighed and ran. I tore towards the alleyway, racing between people's legs and around strollers before making it safely inside. There was a flash of light and I appeared in my human form, my once black fighting Kimono now a silvery white to show my purity. Looking around with my deep, blue eyes, I noticed that there was no way out. I had entered a dead end. Sighing, I gave up and waited for the workers to come into the alley, furiously trying to come up with an excuse for the way I was dressed.

They never came.

Relaxing a tiny bit, I was about to walk out of the alley when I heard footsteps coming my way. They sounded familiar... Where did I last hear them? Then it clicked. Shigure. I glared at the ground, trying to think of a way out of the predicament I had gotten myself into. The footsteps suddenly stopped and I heard them turning around, going in the opposite direction.

'Huh?"

_That's wierd..._

"It's been a while, Kagome" Naraku's voice mused from behind me and I forced myself to stay calm. I turned around and met his cold gaze with my own.

"What do you want from me now?"

"Nothing really, only to see if we can come up with some type of... truce..."

"Like I ever will with the likes of you."

"Oh, that hurt, Kagome."

"Good. That was the point."

"Stingy lately, aren't we my little miko..." he chuckled, walking closer and cupping my chin in his hand. "I'll have to do something about that later."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing to me now?" I questioned and his face lowered, his hair falling over his shoulders and mixing with my own.

"Nothing" he replied, stepping away, "Although I'm tempted to."

"You never seize to disgust me, Naraku" I replied nonchalantly and he gave a small smile.

"You've learned to keep your composure, I see. That will make things more fun for me."

"Enough. What was the truce you were talking about earlier?"

"Join me, and I'll allow your little friends to live a little while longer."

I scoffed, turning around and beginning to take my leave. "You're going to end up killing them anyway so I find no point in your deal."

"Even if I give the mutt a slow and torturous death?" he questioned and I froze in place, tensing.

"He's still going to die though, now, isn't he?" I questioned and Naraku smiled that disgustingly dark smile of his.

"Of course he is."

"I won't accept this stupid deal of yours. Its idiotic and planned out poorly."

"The old Kagome would have joined me the moment she heard that someone was in danger" he sighed, "I think I liked her better."

"Boo hoo, I'm crushed. Now go away."

"How rude you've gotten" he chuckled, melting into the shadows. When his presence had left completely, I relaxed and released a sigh before squatting and rubbing my temples. How much time did I have before he would make his move on the Sohmas...? Would he summon all those demons again? Was I strong enough to defeat him...? I shook my head and shoved all those thoughts from my mind. I wouldn't think about it. I would be able to sense it when it started, so I wouldn't worry.

-----Shigure-----

I set down my pen and lifted up my masterpiece, staring at it while swelling with pride. It was the first novel that I had written that I was positive everyone would love. Of course, I thought that everyone would like my other ones but apparently there was a mistake in my judgement. This one, though... I had a reeeeeaaallly good feeling about this one.

There was a knock on the door and Tohru walked in with a pot of tea and a tea cup. She walked over to me and set it down beside me on the table.

"You've been working unusually hard lately, Shigure-sama" she commented and my pride swelled even more.

"Of course! I just had the most brilliant idea when I was about to continue my other story and I completely forgot about the old one and started writing the new one! I have to finish it before I completely forget what'll happen. Would you like to read it?"

"I would love to" she replied, but rather hesitantly, and I handed her what I already finished before starting to work on the last few chapters of the novel. Tohru sat a few feet away and read until Kyo came in. He noticed Tohru reading and grew curious.

"What're you reading?" he questioned.

"Shigure-sama's newest novel" she replied and Kyo raced over, ripping it from her hands.

"Don't read it, it's life-threatening!" he shouted and I pouted. I opened my mouth to speak but Tohru beat me to it.

"It's really very good, Kyo, you should try and read it" she stated and Kyo glared at me. I smiled and he flinched, glancing back at Tohru.

"Fine..." he sighed and sat down, not able to ignore her gaze. I smiled in victory and contined to write, happy with Kyo's defeat. After a while Kyo dropped the pages on the table, looking at me in shock.

"Are you finished already?" I questioned, amazed, and he numbly shook his head.

"Wh-what it this...?" he asked and I cocked my head to the side.

"It's the novel I wrote."

"It's... it's actually _good_" he mumbled, looking arund with wide eyes, "Or maybe I've finally grown perverted and I find things that I hated before good... no... I don't want to think that..."

'Am I really that bad...?'

---Kagome---

I was back in my fox form and wandering around the forest, debating whether to train more or go check on Shigure to see how he was doing. Naraku's threat was bothering me a lot more than I had thought it would, and the thought of all of the Sohmas and Tohru dead had shaken me up pretty badly. Running wasn't an option, he would only go through with his plan and then chase after me. Going back tot he Sohmas would only be walking in to Naraku's trap, but staying here meant not knowing when he would strike and the possibilty of not making it in time to save them. I stopped my pacing and sat down, looking at the sky with my blue orbs. None of three options I had come up with were very appealing and were all 'heads you win, tails I lose' type of situations. Huh. Naraku had me stumped this time.

_'Perhaps you should just go and check ont hem every once in a while, but try not to get caught doing so'_ Midoriko suggested and I scowled.

'Lot of good that's going to do me, Naraku could still come when I'm not there to watch over them.'

_Then watch over them the entire time._

'That wouldn't work either, though!'

_So Naraku knows your weakness, it shouldn't matter._

'They'll get in the way.'

_They'll get in the way either way so it doesn't matter._

...Why hadn't I thought of that? Stupid brain wasn't working at it's best today. Deciding to listen to Midoriko, I stood back up and began to trot back to the Sohma estate, fluffy black tail swishing around behind me. The past month had been hard, I had been training non-stop with Midoriko giving me all of these instructions. I had also lost all of my childish fears in the process. My fear of Naraku? Completely disappeared, does't exist any more and never will again. Hopefully. I had also encountered Inuyasha once. I wasn't an idiot this time and fought back. Only got out with a slash on my arm, but he got out with half his leg purified. Yep, I got lucky.

I reached the Sohma estate and stopped, hiding in the nearby bushes as I listened hard for the noises inside the house. The sound of a pen on paper, the rustling of clothing and the crinkling of paper, the breathing of three people in a room. On the other side of the house I heard the sound of pages being flipped and the scribbles of a pencil. Homework.

Tug. Tug. I glared a hole in the ground. This couldn't be happening.

Tug.

Okay, maybe it was. Turning away from the house, I only ran a few steps before there was a huge flash of light and a 'poof', along with a puff of smoke, and I was back in my humanoid form. I sighed, knowing that the people in the house would have been able to haer it, and decided to just run as fast as I could, moving swiftly and stealthily though the trees. I skidded to a halt when I felt the presence of an all too familiar hanyou and I gathered my ki, getting ready for the fight ahead. A flash of red and silver, the drawing of a blade, the clashing of metal against metal, and the fight began.

The dagger in my hand snapped in half and I jumped back just as Tetsusaiga smashed against the ground where I once stood. My body automatically went in to it's defensive stance and I watched all of Inuyasha's movements carefully, waiting for an opening. Knowing Inuyasha, it wouldnt be too hard. Then again, he never got much training.

"Give me the jewel" he snarled, blue pupils staring straight in to my eyes and I hopped back, seeing an opening. I was about to go on the offensive and strike but he quickly recovered, not giving me a chance to.

"No, give it up, Inuyasha!" I grunted as I blocked his attack with another dagger. This one didn't snap. I released the ki that I had built up and he flew into a tree, the impact making the tree snap in half and he fell to the ground.

"Wench!" he snarled and I began to build up my ki again, running staright towards him. He was weak right now, the sword on the ground behind me. If he wanted it he would have to get past me first. I noticed the flexing of his claws and I dug my foot into the ground, pushing off to the right just as he attacked with his Blades of Blood. I then pushed off the ground again and lunged straigh towards him. He shot to his feet and hopped in the air, grabbing the testusaiga before disappearing into the trees for the third time.

"Coward" I whispered and I turned around to make my way back tot he Sohma house when I saw Shigure standing there. I swore under my breath. I knew I shouldn't have come. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

"Ka...gome...?" he asked and I turned spun around, racing in to the woods. Had to get away. Why? I had no clue, it was one of those spur of the moment ideas that I would regret later on. He ran after me and I forced myself to run faster, completely forgetting about the fact that I would have gotten away easier if I didn't leave a trail of snapped twigs in my wake. I heard him chasing after me and I felt myself starting to tire because one: I had ran to the battle sight, two: I had fough, three: I had used ki, and four: I was still running. He grabbed my arm and skidded to a halt, making me ricochet back in to him.

"Let me go" I panted.

"Why?"

"_He_ might see."

"Does it look like I care?"

"He'll kill you."

"Your point?"

"Let go..."

"No."

"Let go" I warned again but he ignored it.

"No."

"Shigure."

"Yes?"

"Let go."

"No" he laughed and I sighed, giving up. It was hopeless. "Not until you apologize."

"For what?!"

"Leaving me alone with no clue about where you were and how you're doing!" he replied and I scowled.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like it for one, and I will not apologize for wanting to be left alone for a while for another reason."

"So mean..." he sighed.

"Let go of me."

"No."

"Mutt."

"Vixen."

"That word should be considered illegal when it's coming out of your mouth" I growled, glaring at him.

"Vixen" he stated again and I tried to yank my arm out of his hold. Nope. Wouldn't let go quite yet.

"Perverted author... let go of me before I scream sexual harrassment. When people see it's you they won't hesitate to believe me."

"Unless I make a run for it before they get here."

"Or I could just knock you out and run after I scream it."

"You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"I would, now let go."

"At least promise to visit without hiding in the shadows the entire time" he sighed and I slowly nodded.

"I'll promise to that" I replied, though a little hesitantly. He let go and I turned around to look at him for a moment before racing off deeper in to the woods and farther away from human civilization.


	13. Problem 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing, so please don't kill me!

To be honest, I had half of this chapter written for about four months but I completely forgot about it until just recently. I apologize for taking so long to update this story but I had reached a moment in time of which I was absolutely _obsessed_ with one- and two-shots. I'm still taking suggestions, though I can't guarantee I'll be able to write all of them. I still have much manga and anime to see.

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 13

firefox369

_Kagome_

-Midoriko-

"There it is! get it!" a voice shouted and Kagome yelped in surprise before scrambling out of the house she had snuck into for cover, jumping out the closest window and running across a thin tree branch (which rocked precariously) before landing safely on the ground. The bow around her neck was long gone by now so she looked like a random, wild fox again. She would have to go to Shigure's home to get another one.

There was a thud and she ran, knowing that her pursuers had jumped out the window like she had, although definitely less gracefully. How, she had no idea, considering the fact that they looked like they would barely fit through the _front door_. Kagome yipped when she stepped on a smashed beer bottle but ignored the pain, deciding that if she did not run faster then she would surely be captured.

This time, there would be no black dog to save her from the clutches of the evil pest control workers if she was.

The pounding of feet began to grow louder behind her as she raced into the safety of the trees, but was not blind to the fact that her bleeding paw was leaving a clear trail for the men to follow.

Now seemed like a good time to go to her last resort.

She swerved to her left, towards where she knew Shigure resided, and barked as loud as she could. Hopefully they would hear it.

A building quickly came into her line of sight and she barked again. As she neared the doors, they slid open and she raced through. They slammed shut the moment she passed.

'Safe!' Kagome shouted in mind as she did a little dance, thoroughly pleased with herself and her successful escape. Not quite used to the idea of dancing with four legs, she quickly tripped over her own feet and fell onto her side. Large hands gently picked her up and she turned her head to see Hatori, who she was not expecting.

"You're injured."

She rolled her eyes as if saying 'as if I didn't already know'.

The doctor brought her into the next room and a blur suddenly came flying towards them, which Hatori easily evaded. There was a loud crash and a whimper as Shigure's head popped out of the remnants of the shattered door moments later.

"How could you Haa-san!" he whined in an overly dramatic manner, "After all I've done for you, how could you treat me so?"

Hatori completely ignored his complaints and set the small, black fox down on the table where he had his suitcase, which she now liked to call his 'mobile hospital'. Kagome watched as he clicked it open and took out a few items before turning towards her. He held out a hand.

"Paw."

She obeyed, sitting down on her haunches and giving the doctor the injured appendage. He gently took it and looked it over, debating how he would go about wrapping up the injury.

"It doesn't seem like any glass entered the cut" he stated and she released a sigh of relief. Thank god. "But I would recommend staying off it as much as you can for awhile."

Kagome scowled in her mind but nodded, letting him continue his work. He was a trained professional, might as well let him do his job without comments he couldn't understand from a fox.

He took out a bandage that was at least three times too wide, but was relieved to see him taking out a pair of scissors and cutting off a thinner piece. He wrapped it around her paw and the bottom part of her leg, testing the knot he tied to see if it was on tight enough.

"How did you know she was injured?" Shigure inquired and Hatori looked at him.

"She was favoring her front, right leg."

"Oh."

Hatori then took out another ribbon, this time green, and tied it around Kagome's small, furry neck. She shifted uncomfortably but knew it was because she was no longer accustomed to the feeling of having something suffocating that one area. It would grow on her with time, and it would also lower the amount of people chasing after her. Thank the stars. Kami-sama knew she was growing tired with the constant attention.

"Will you be leaving soon or will you be staying?" Hatori asked just as Tohru came in with two bowls. Sniffing the air, the wonderful smell of fresh water and food tickled Kagome's nose, making her mouth salivate. Gingerly, she hopped off the table and trotted to the brown-haired girl's side, pawing her leg and whimpering.

"She's staying" Tohru giggled, large, innocent brown eyes shutting with happiness before she knelt down to place the two small bowls on the ground.

_I know this seems rude of me, but I wanted oden._

-You will have your share of oden once you defeat Naraku, Kagome.-

Kagome pouted as she plopped onto her haunches and delicately sniffed the food in front of her. It didn't seem to be poisoned or laced with any sedatives, so she greedily filled her empty stomach with the delicious sustenance. Halfway through her gorging, the newly found ribbon rubbing against her neck became quite bothersome so she stopped her binging in order to scratch it in a pathetic attempt to remove it. It didn't seem to want to listen to her, though, for it did not even snag. Frustrated, she scratched even harder in hopes of reaching the bow and untying it somehow.

"I tied it with a double-knot in order to be certain that it would not be lost" Hatori informed and the small fox immediately halted her vigorous movements to stare hatefully at the dark-haired doctor, one leg still raised in the air. Slowly, she lowered her leg and stood up, deciding to continue eating her food while bearing the troublesome substance around her neck. Once she had finished, Tohru gently patted Kagome's head and scratched her chin, smiling warmly at the small canine. Needless tos ay, Kagome quite enjoyed her administrations, and was extremely upset when her warm hands stopped their movement and drifted away from her. Determined to make herself comfortable, Kagome did the only thing she knew.

The small fox walked over to Shigure, waiting for the older man to set her in his lap.

_Just for a few moments_ she told herself when he reached down. Being placed comfortably on his legs, she quickly curled into a small ball, her soft, bushy tail cuddled safely between her legs and head. There was a lingering smell of musk and ink on his body.

He smelled of musk and ink, she realized before shutting her eyes and relishing in the warmth of his large body.

_Yes, just for a few moments..._ she repeated, but it was useless as she became a victim to the world of dreams.

_It was dark. So dark. Where was she? Where was everybody?_

_"Shigure?" she called and her sapphire eyes widened when she noticed that she could speak. Looking down, she saw a human body, not a furry one, she saw hands, feet, hair, _skin._ She was _human.

_"Tohru? Hatori?" Kagome once again called, noticing faintly the puff of her breath as she shouted. Unnerved by the darkness and silence, she began to run. Her heart was pounding madly against her chest, partly from the terror, partly from the running, as black locks floated behind her with every movement. It was getting so cold. Why? _

_A shiver coursed down her spine._

So cold.

_A biting wind blew from out of nowhere, bringing snow and ice along with it, and Kagome screamed. It engulfed her, covering her in a freezing blanket of frozen water. Her body stung, she was trembling, her teeth chattered, she couldn't feel her fingers or toes..._

_Why was it so cold?!_

_Suddenly, she couldn't breathe, and she noticed that the snow had covered her completely, every nook, every cranny, every _air sac _was filled by the thing, and Kagome saw that she was trapped. Horrified, she kicked and squirmed but the snow and ice did not budge. Frantically she scratched at the snow in front of her with her nails, but to no avail. The snow was falling too quickly, and she wasn't digging fast enough._

_And that was when she knew._

_She was going to die._

_Kagome stared helplessly at the frozen coffin she had somehow been shoved into, forcing herself to calm down, thinking desperately for a way to escape. But her lungs began to burn all too soon._

_So she screamed._

_She screamed with whatever air was remaining in her body, which wasn't much._

Oh Kami-sama! Somebody please save me!_ she begged in her mind, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as her last breaths decided to escape her frozen form._

"Wake up, dammit!" a voice shouted and blue eyes snapped open, but they didn't see. Kagome wildly lashed out with her claws, trying to escape the hands pressing her down against the cleared wooden table, pressing down on her lungs with vice-like grip. She couldn't breathe, and everything was still bathed in darkness.

_Somebody help me!_ she cried.

Claws met skin and a warm liquid soaked into her fur.

Her vision began to clear.

The stench of blood met her nose.

She gazed up to see Hatori holding her down with a firm, but gentle, grip.

But the blood was not his, so whose was it? Rotating her head to the left, Kagome saw Kyo a few feet away, a towel pressed against his forearm. A towel that was quickly turning crimson.

-Oh dear. Look what you've done, Kagome.-

The small fox didn't seem to hear the warrior miko, though, for her mind was still trying to comprehend what had happened. What she had done. What she had _dreamt._

Hatori gradually released her and Shigure replaced him, hesitating before lifting Kagome's limp body and cradling her in his arms, whispering soothing words into her ear like one would to a crying child.

Only when Shigure wiped her furry face with his thumb did she feel the small, hot crystals dripping from her eyes.

"Kagome?" he whispered and she buried her face under his arm, her nose poking out the other end, from her guilt. How she wanted to hide right now… "Don't cry…"

She refused to look at him.

"Don't be like this" he sighed, lifting her away from his body so she had no choice but to stare straight at him. Terrified blue eyes stared into worried, dark brown, and Shigure's eyes softened when he saw her expression.

"Don't worry, Kagome." He then spun her around so she gazed directly at a fuming orange-haired teen. "See? Kyon Kyon is still his normal self, and he's the one that won't stop bleeding."

Kyo bristled at the statement, but grudgingly had to agree in his mind. Hatori, meanwhile, was preparing some antiseptic and bandages for the deep scratches that ran from his elbow to halfway down his forearm.

"See? See?"

Kagome's ears drooped as she gazed at the injured teenager and Shigure sighed before noticing a small patch of red on her paw. A scowl formed on his face.

"You're bleeding again" he stated in monotone and Kagome gazed back at him over her shoulder, clearly showing that she did not care about her current physical health. She had more things to worry about at the moment, couldn't he see that?

To Be Continued...


	14. Problem 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Nothing at all! Don't sue!

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

firefox369

Problem 14

The World is Burning!

_Black. Once again, everything was black. But something flickered in the distance. What? Kagome could not tell. She could only see that it was slowly moving toward her, gaining in size and speed. It grew at an alarmingly fast rate as it raced in her direction._

_Trying to see what it was, Kagome squinted her eyes._

_It was coming faster now, and she was faintly aware of fear beginning to force tremors in her body._

A siren blared in her ears, jolting her awake and filling the senstive part of her body with mass amounts of pain, forcing her to fold her ears back and whimper. Where was the noise coming from? What the heck was going on?

And then, suddenly, _that_ feeling appeared again.

Hurriedly standing up on her four paws, she stared towards the direction in which the sirens had gone, noticing a large column of smoke. Worry filled her entire being when she realized that the smoke was coming from the area in which Shigure's home resided. If it really was from Shigure's home, she would not make it in time to help fight the fire, and everything would once again be lost to her. But then, there was also the possibilty that the smoke rising from somewhere near Shigure's and that he and the others living under the roof of that house were, in reality, unharmed.

-Quickly, Kagome! We may still be able to prevent the culprit from escaping!- Midoriko cried, urging the fox's body to move, and she did. With a burst of speed, Kagome darted toward the smoke, toward the roaring flames, desperate, hoping, praying.

_Oh, kami-sama, what if it is Shigure?_ the girl thought, a burst of speed propelling her body even farther forward. _What if Naraku has finally made his move? Please let me make it in time to protect them if they're in danger!_

And then, the feeling disappeared, and the urge to transform into her humanoid form faded along with it.

If it was the work of Naraku, she would no longer be able to confront him.

_What if he killed them?_

-Kagome, just keep running! We will not know until we arrive at their manor!-

_What if Naraku killed them all? What will I do then?_

Slowly, the trees began to part and Kagome skidded to a halt, gazing at the building in front of her. Cerulean eyes flickering to the right, she realized that the source of the flames were still a ways away, yet, and would not reach the Sohma household no matter how fast it spread.

A light flicked on near the shoji door and it quietly slid open to reveal a very tired Yuki.

"Hey" he called, voice drained from fatigue. What had happened to him? "You coming in or no?"

Was he talking to her?

"Just a few more moments, Sohma-kun, I'm almost done" Tohru's voice replied and Kagome saw the brown-haired teen placing two bowls down on the ground in front of her. One was filled with water, the other with food. Sniffing the air out of curiosity, her mouth began to water when she recognized the all-too familiar smell.

"I don't think foxes eat oden, Tohru."

"I just want to see if she will return. Shigure-sama told me that foxes were particularly fond of it."

There was a sigh.

"You actually believed him? Just come back inside, Tohru, you'll catch cold wearing what you are."

"Okay."

Kagome watched as the exchange came to a close, then watched as Tohru entered the house, the shoji door sliding shut behind her. Little noise was made as she did so. Excited, Kagome rushed out of the trees and began to lap up the hot noodles, careful not to burn her tongue. Burned tongues were not something she wanted at the current moment in time.

­_I love you, Tohru!_ she sang, completely ignoring the soft chuckle that came from the side of the house. Dark eyes softened with joy as they watched the small, black fox bound out of the trees and promptly burry its muzzle within the generous meal offered to it.

It seemed that his guesses had been correct once again. Too bad they didn't work for anything other than canines.

When Kagome had finished the large bowl of oden, the figure that had been lurking in the shadows gently called her name, as to not awaken the sleeping beings within the home. Triangular ears perked up and swiveled to face the source of the noise, the small, thin nose also turning to face it soon after.

"Kagome, come here."

The small fox slowly blinked, blue eyes shutting for a split second. When they opened again, they were brighter than before, for excitement that had not been there previously lit them with small, burning flames. The small creature bounded over to the elder male and tackled him in a hug, tail swishing back and forth with liquid movements. Shigure released a quiet chuckle, scooping the small fox into his arms and cradling it like a baby.

"You're a cute, little, furry, pointy-eared, black, fox, aren't you?" he cooed as he tapped her nose, and Kagome pouted, glaring at him. "Yes, you are! Aren't you just the-"

Kagome growled in warning and Shigure sweat-dropped.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

However, during this happiness, Kagome felt that something was still amiss. Something was dangerously wrong. Dangerously, horribly wrong. When she remembered what it was, however, it was already too late.

The stench of wood smoke invaded her nose and her eyes widened, ears perking up. How could the fire still be spreading? Faintly, in the back of her mind, she realized that it was a _forest fire_, not a _bonfire_. Horrified at the completely idiotic mistake that she had made, Kagome hopped out of Shigure's grasp and charged inside the home, yipping and barking as if it were the end of the world. It would be, though, if the others didn't evacuate immediately.

"What the hell are you barking about now, you damn kitsune...?" Kyo growled as he slammed his door open. Kagome skidded to a halt, hurrying over and nipping at his feet, herding him toward the exit. "What the hell is wrong with you, you-"

"Kyonkyon!" Shigure called, running into the home, and Kyo stopped, staring warily at Shigure's bedraggled form.

"What happened to you?"

"Get Yuki and Tohru, the forest is on fire."

"...nani?"

Kagome, annoyed, bit his shin none too gently, giving him another flesh-wound to bring him back from whatever fantasy world he had entered. A loud swear escaped him, but he quickly raced up the stairs to find Tohru and Yuki.

And the feeling returned.

The smell of smoke grew stronger, and Kagome raced outside to see how close the flames were to the home. Shigure followed her out.

-Kagome, he is near-

A bright flash of light lit up the area as Kagome returned to her humanoid form.

There was a beastial roar.

Blue eyes flickered all over, searching for the source of the noise as wood smoke entered them and made them begin to water. Smoke filled her throat and nostrils and she began to choke, the think air entering her lungs.

A damp cloth suddenly covered her mouth and nose and Kagome whirled around to see shigure, a white cloth over his own face as he held out the other for Kagome to take. She did.

There was another roar and the young miko urged Shigure off, but the man was stubborn and refused to budge.

"What about Kyo and the others?" she argued and his eyes lit up mischievously.

"They're fine on their own."

"Shigure!" she whined, exasperated, and he laughed through the handkerchief, gently taking her hand in his own, larger one.

"I'll leave only if you promise not to get yourself killed" he bargained and Kagome allowed a ghost of a smile to cross her lips.

"Promise. Now hurry, before its too late."

"It already is, dear miko" _he_ taunted and both Kagome and Shigure stiffened.

"Oh, Kami-sama, no!" she breathed. Slowly, she turned around to gaze straight into the blood-red eyes of Naraku.

"Oh, yes" he chuckled.

To Be Continued...

I know, I know, bad spot to stop... I would continue, but I need to think about how the battle is going to go, and it's been a while since I last updated this story so I thought I would update just to satiate your curiosities.


	15. Last Problem

I'm not even going to attempt to apologize for the extremely long time that it took to update this story (not just this chapter, but all of them), but please don't hate me for it. I've been really busy, but my workload has lightened a little. It might make my updates faster, but no promises... Anyway, read and enjoy! I don't know if I'm going to do an epilogue or not, though, so don't be surprised if one doesn't come out.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot is my own idea, and not anyone else's!

The Complicated Life of a Kitsune Turned Miko

Problem 15

Weakest Link

"Naraku..." Kagome whispered, her heart beating wildly inside her chest. The spider hanyou would undoubtedly take advantage of the fact that Shigure had not left the vicinity in order to ensure his victory. But the question at hand was "How?"

"You've matured since I last saw you, my dear miko" Naraku mused as he gazed at the young woman in all of his tentacle infested glory. Kagome grimaced, reaching for her bow to find that it was missing. "Looking for this?" he asked, dangling the wooden bow from one of the various tentacles.

_How the-_

Snap!

The bow fell to the ground, split in two pieces, and Kagome stepped back, horror dawning on her face.

There went her best weapon.

She would form her own with her miko energy, but she was not accustomed to the extra strain placed on her body when she did do that. Silently, she gazed up at the dark hanyou with wide eyes, too many emotions to count swirling around within them. Slowly, she drew a katana from its sheath, muttering a prayer beneath her breath.

Thank god Midoriko was still within her.

Wait.

Why wasn't the older, more experienced miko doing anything? There were no voices in her head, there was no soothing aura, there was _nothing_. Panic engulfed Kagome's body like a fog, hazing her senses and making everything seem so much _slower_ than it actually was.

One of Naraku's various, disgusting-looking appendages shot toward her, but she saw it as if in slow motion. It was coming, closer, closer, why couldn't she move? And suddenly, it was past her. Everything returned to its normal speed and Kagome spun around to see the tentacle racing straight toward the shocked Shigure. Horrified, Kagome unconsciously raised the sword and sliced with all of her might. A strange substance splurted onto her body, but she ignored it to gaze disgustedly at the wriggling... _thing_ in front of her.

"Oh god..." she whispered, about ready to puke up whatever she had last eaten, which was bowl full of oden. She had seen things like this before, but she was not accustomed to seeing the body parts _move_ after being chopped off, especially not when _she_ was the one doing the chopping. Everything usually ended up purified if she did slice through them.

Kagome was thrown backward as another of Naraku's tentacles slammed her against a tree. The sword slipped out of her hand as she hit the rough bark of the trunk, head falling limp after the harsh beating it took as it crashed against the tree from the momentum. Oh, how her head ached!

"Pathetic" Narkau sneered as he stared down his nose at her from his position a few meters away. She could feel the tentacle gently slithering around her body, almost sensually. The realization made Kagome want to vomit.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, struggling. Her energy flickered occasionally, trying to purify Naraku to ash, but it did not work and he remained unharmed. And suddenly, she was free, the limb that was formerly holding her dropping to the ground, once again squirming and wriggling in its last few moments.

She glanced up.

Shigure sweat-dropped as he laughed nervously, the slime infested katana in his hands.

"Filthy ningen!" Naraku roared as he reached out to impale the man on one of his appendages, or else consume the man in general, but missed considerably when Kagome tackled the author over.

"Baka" she whispered from her position atop Shigure's body. She was straddling his stomach, hands placed firmly on his shoulders.

"Vixen" he teased and she grimaced.

"Save those words for later, mutt" she grumbled, standing up and gingerly removing the katana from his hand, "after I destroy this stupid piece of hanyou crap."

"I'm wounded" Shigure stated, placing a hand on his chest, above his heart. Kagome's eyes widened. That gesture was too "Miroku-esque." Now that she looked closer, they did look very, very similar.

Shoving the thought to the very back of her mind (she had bigger things to deal with at the moment), Kagome turned around to face Naraku. She got into a fighting stance, legs parted and body crouched, waiting to see if Naraku would make the next move. Granted, Kagome was not accustomed to using the katana, and Midoriko was not with her at the moment, she thought she could handle a few tentacles without dying.

She glanced at the slithering mass.

As long as he didn't send all of them at her at once.

"So you choose to fight?"

"Of course."

"Then prepare to die, love."

Man, he was really going all out, for the large slithering blob of tentacles streaked toward her with unprecedented speed. Paralyzed from shock, she urged her body to move but it remained stubborn and stayed still. The squirming wall came closer, and closer, and closer, until her body finally decided to listenn to her and she dove out of the way.

_Crash!_

The pointes pierced the ground, creating large holes where they hit before removing themselves and chasing after her again. How was she supposed to deal with them? How was she supposed to destroy them? And then, suddenly, she tripped and landed on the ground with a loud thud, the sword flying from her grasp and clattering a few meters away. The entire time, the appendages came closer, flew faster, became sharper.

Her vision flashed red.

And then the onslaught was halted.

"...Inuyasha...?" Kagome whispered There was a loud hiss and large feline charged out of the trees, attaching itself onto one of the tentacles and tearing into it with its long fangs. "Kirara?"

"Give me the jewel, Kagome!" Inuyasha commanded and Kagome scooted back, not quite trusting him. "Give me the jewel!" he grunted, slashing. The tips of Naraku's tentacles dropped to the ground.

"No! I can't! I-"

"Kagome, listen to me!" Inuyasha commanded, turning around to face her. "Give me the jewel or you'll die."

"I can't, Inuyasha, and you know that!"

Kirara snarled as she avoided one of Naraku's limbs to attack another one. Inuyasha 'feh'd as he spun around and hacked through a few more limbs, shouting for the teenage miko to give him the Shikon no Tama. She continuously denied him his request, shaking her head furiously, scrambling frantically to her katana.

And that was when it happened.

Naraku finally decided to target the bystander. Yes. Naraku changed the direction of his limbs, curving them in midair and swerving them to fly straight toward Shigure.

"Shigure!" Kagome screamed, picking up the sword and running toward him with a speed she never knew she had. But they kept getting closer to him, faster than she could run. She wouldn't make it!

"Kaze no Kizu!"

A bright flash of light, a large gust of wind, the strange substance spurting into the air and raining down on everyone in a hot, sticky sprinkle, and then vision returned.

"Oh, kami-sama" Kagome whispered, the sword slipping from her grasp as she staggered over to Shigure's fallen, bloody figure, a hole in his shoulder.

"Kagome, give me the jewel!" Inuyasha cried, but Kagome did not hear him, kneeling beside the author's prone form and caressing his cheek.

"Kagome" he breathed and the miko smiled sadly at him.

"It's alright, everything's going to be alright" she soothed and he chuckled before grimacing in pain. "Just wait, okay? I'll make you feel better in a little bit. Everything's going to be alright."

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted again.

"Run" Shigure commanded quietly, gazing behind her, but Kagome shook her head. No, she would not run. She could not!

"Kagome, watch out!"

"Run!" he hissed and she felt something grab the back of her shirt collar. Roughly, she was ripped away from the elder male and brought into the air, watching as a barrage of tentacles landed right where she had been moments before, destroying everything in a ten foot radius as well. Earth flew into the air, clumps of rock and dirt raising in a large cloud, and Kagome's heart tightened.

"Shigure" she shouted "Shigure!"

Everything went black as she fell into the dark abyss known as unconsciousness.

-------------------------------------------------

With a moan, sapphire blue eyes opened to gaze into gold orbs, hidden behind a sea of silver bangs.

"Inuyasha?" she moaned, "how...?"

"I broke free of Naraku's hold some time after he began his attack on you" he explained quietly, the untainted Shikon in his left hand. The chain dangled off of it, swaying back and forth.

"Give the jewel back to me" she stated softly, but Inuyasha's grip tightened on it as he shook his head.

How had it escaped her body in the first place?

"I can't" he stated.

"Why not?" she demanded and the inu hanyou scowled, glaring at the tree to his left.

"Because you'll wish for _him_" he grumbled and Kagome hesitated before the force of his words dawned on her. _Him_. The _him_ the inu had spoken of... it couldn't be... no.

"Shigu-"

'Dead. Naraku annihilated his body, there's no bringing him back without the jewel."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"But, but he-"

"You can't wish on the jewel, it'll be selfish of you to wish for the perverted man back."

She couldn't breathe.

"Give me the jewel, Inuyasha!" she cried and Inuyasha smiled one of his kind smiles, one that she rarely saw, and she hesitated. What was he planning now? "Inuyasha, what are you-"

A bright flash of light...

And Inuyasha was gone...

The forgotten Kirara crawled onto Kagome's lap, squinting as her pupils fought to adjust to the sudden changes of light. A drop of water fell on her head and she gave a mew of distaste, glaring up at the miko.

"Hello, vixen" that smooth, genial voice stated and Kagome buried her face in her hands, sobbing. The man knelt in front of her and hugged her with a knowing smile on his face.

"Shigure..." she sobbed and he sighed.

He hated to admit it, but he really owed that damned hanyou a big thank you. After all, bringing someone back from the dead wasn't a very easy task, especially from the state that his body was in beforehand. The hanyou had really outdone himself this time, coming up with such a wish.

An evil hanyou destroyed for the protection of the girl.

A soul in need of a body.

A soul wanting to leave a body.

A hanyou moving onto the afterlife, where he belonged.

A human returning to the realm of the living.

A life for a life.

All because of a single, complicated, little kitsune miko and a damned jewel.

The fates had outsmarted themselves on this one.

The End

Another story finished! YES! Now, to start on my other one. It's a Zelda TP/Oot x Inuyasha crossover, and will be AMAZING! lol. The pairing is... somewhat decided. I have it down to two prospective candidates, but Kagome is definitely the heroine. It's going to be about twenty some chapters, from what I have planned, so expect it not to be done for a while, lol...

**STORY UP FOR ADOPTION! **I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote "You Can't Expect Me to Be Perfect," but it's up for adoptiong for anyone interested in taking it from me.

Thanks for reading!

firefox369


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